Vol. XXVIII. 

 iqii 



] GovniK, Coleoptera of North-Western Victoria. 117 



NOTES ON THE COLEOPTERA OF NORTH-WESTERN 



VICTORIA. 



Part III. — Staphylinid^. 



By J. C. GouDiE. 



{Read before the Field Naturalists' Club of Victoria, nth Sept., 191 1.) 



(The previous parts of this paper {Vict. Nat., xxvi., p. 39, and xxvii., 

 p. 153) dealt mainly with the Carabidae and the water-beetles.) 



The beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae are, as a 

 rule, easily recognized, being quite dissimilar in general appear- 

 ance from most other coleopterous forms. On a casual inspec- 

 tion they appear to have more affinity to the Forficulidae, or 

 earwigs, though the body does not terminate, as does that of 

 the earwigs, in a forceps. The very short elytra, and the long, 

 slender abdomen, which is freely movable, being the chief 

 distinguishing characters. 



Most of the species are met with on the ground under debris 

 of any kind, and specimens of some kinds may be seen in the 

 streets of the city, as well as in the remotest parts of the bush. 

 The members of one genus pass their time amongst the 

 blossoms of trees, whilst others are found exclusively in the 

 nests of ants, being there probably in the capacity of scavengers, 

 though some, as Mr. Lea has remarked, are hostile to the ants. 

 In the drier portions of the country many species frequent the 

 margins of water-holes, and may be swamped out of their hiding- 

 places by throwing a few buckets of water on the caked mud. 

 Mr. Froggatt says they are carnivorous, devouring other small 

 creatures, and several species are carrion feeders. Considering 

 their somewhat unattractive appearance (compared with other 

 coleoptera), the Staphylinida; have been well investigated, the 

 researches of Messrs. Fauvel, Macleay, Blackburn, Lea, Ohiff, 

 and others having made known upwards of 400 Australian 

 species. 



There appears to be but little known of the early stages of 

 these insects. I have not seen the larvae or pupae of any species 

 to my knowledge, though they must be numerous ; but the 

 beetles themselves may be taken all the year round. 



STAPHYLINID^. 



1164. Aleochara hrachialis, Jekel. 

 7655. A. ptiberula, Klug. 



These two species are carrion feeders. I have not met with 

 them except near the bodies of dead animals or birds. A. 

 hrachialis is black, with a red-tipped body, and measures a 

 quarter of an inch in length. A. piiberula is smaller, with 

 reddish-brown elytra. 



