(Page 498) 

 its deeply black color, and its among the Steninl alnost unique, myr- 

 mecophile manner of living. 



Deeply black, somewhat glistening, almost invisibly haired; max- 

 illary palpi brownish-black, their first joint and base of the second 

 yellow; middle part of antennae and the legs pitch-brown or brownish 

 black, inner part of femora most often brownish-red. 



The head is hardly as broad as elytra, broader than pronotum, rather 

 finely and not densely punctated, forehead slightly impressed, with two 

 distinct, but not deep longitudinal grooves, separated by a slightly 

 convex interval; antennae fine; pronotum broadest at middle, narrower 

 than elytra, a little longer than broad, on the sides posteriorly im- 

 pressed-narrowed, dorsally almost smooth, with rather robust, dense, 

 not rugous punctation and with a short, most often distinct longitudi- 

 nal groove at middle; elytra longer than pronotum, with robust and dense, 

 not rugous punctation, anteriorly uneven; abdomen slender especially 

 in the O , tapering, rather finely and densely punctated, its foremost 

 free dorsal joints without carinae at base; legs slender, hind tarsi a 

 little shorter than tibiae. L. 5 mm. 



In the o the abdominal fifth ventral joint at tip very feebly emar- 

 ginated, the sixth not strongly incurved - 



It lives in the mounds with Formica rufa and v. pratensis , is toler- 

 ated by the ant6, and are presumably helping to keep the ant hill free 

 from smaller parasites. Distributed in Middle and North Europe; in this 

 country very rare (Oeels Skov, Puderhegn and several places in the for- 



-40- 



