(Page 388) 



reticulate. Scutellum is proportionally large, triangular, punctate; 



elytra as long as or a little longer than pronotum; the abdomen pos- 



(Pa^e 389) 



teriorly more or less tapering, its first three free dorsal joints 



often slightly transversally depressed at case, whereby there in some 



species is formed a fine transversal ridge with an angulate, acute 



projection on the middle about like a transversally placed brace C-y^] . 



The fore-tibiae are rather narrow, feebly thickened toward the tip, 



often finely spiniferous, the others always spiniferous; fore-tarsi 



either simple or their first three joints dilated; hind-tarsal first 



joint more or less produced, longer than or about as lon:f as the clav. 



joint. - In the o the head is often broader and more square than in 



the ^ , or the fore-tarsi are dilated, or more strongly dilated than 



in the Q ; the sixth ventral abdorainsil joint is at tip ir.ore or less 



strongly angulately incised or emarginate. 



In r.5iddle and North Surope more than 70 species are found, in this 

 country about 5C. ihey mostly seek rottinj plant- or animal-fragments, 

 manure and fungi, where they hunt smaller insects. I.iost of the species 

 are not very particular in choise of ground, and can be encountered 

 almost anywhere, a fev. prefer hollovv tress or live under bark of insect- 

 infested trunks and stubs. 



Our species are divided into two subgenera, and the largest of 

 these, Philonthus s. str. , by the number of punctures in each of the 

 punctate rows of pronotum furthermore in £ seriesr-in hirichson and 

 Kraatz the genus Philonthus includes also the separated and follow- 



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