(Page 629) 

 abdomen roundly tapering, with broadly upturned side-margins; legs rather 

 short, tibiae not spiniferous, tarsi 5-jointed, hind tarsal cl*w-joint 

 scarcely as long as the first and second joint together. 



In the o distinct sex-characters appear both on legs and on next-last 

 ventral abdominal joints. 



The species live in rotting plant-waste, fungi, at carrion and outflow- 

 ing fermenting tree-sap. Of those in Middle and North Europe distributed 

 6 species, 3 or 4 occur in this country. 



Key to Species. 



1. Antennae entirely dark, black or blackish-brown 2. 



- Antennae at base reddish-yellow 3. 



2. Pronotal sides smoothly rounded. L. 2.5-3 mm 1. M. depressus Payk. 



Pronotal sides back of middle feebly, yet distinctly angulate. L. 2.5 



-3 mm 2. HI. slnuatocollis Lac. 



3. Body pitch-black or pitch-brown, pronotal sides and elytra brownish- 



red. L. 2.5-3 mm 3. M. denticollls Beck. 



Body yellowish-red with black head. L. 2.6-3 Km.: 4. V.. hemipterus Illig. 

 1. M. depressus Payk. 



(Payk. Mon. Staph. 70; Erichs. Kaf. Mc. Br. I, 644; Jen. Spec. Staph. 

 905; Kraatz Ins. D. II, 1C27; Thorns. Skand. Col. Ill, 218; Muls. et Rey 

 Bre'vip. 1878, 235; Janglb. Ka'f. M. II. 762. - macropterus Oravh. Mon. 215). 



Easily identified by entirely black antennae, and smoothly rounded sides 

 of pronotum. 



Black, somewhat glisteninj, very finely haired; legs rust-red. often 

 with darker femora; elytra sometimes brown. 



-87- 



