554 



FAUNA HAWAIIENSIS 



doubt thai it will form a distinct genus. The fine down characteristic of the genus is 

 wanting in M. apctina, the head and thorax being somewhat shining, and the abdomen 

 hirsute. The antennae and legs are not so slender as they are in other species of the 

 genus ; and the extremely short elytra are also very remarkable. The antennae are not 

 very slender, and are dull red in colour, they are slightly thickened towards the apex, 

 the penultimate joint is not quite so long as broad, and the terminal joint is only a little 

 longer than the loth. The elytra are at the suture much shorter than the thorax ; at 

 the sides, though longer, they are nevertheless shorter than the thorax. Though 

 wingless this species has no relations with the other wingless forms. 



Hab. Hawaii? " V^ol "[canoj viii. 1896 (Perkins). 



Oligota, Mannerheim. 



Oligota Mannerheim, Brach. 1830, p. 72. 



The small tribe Oligotini — of which Oligota and Liophaena are the Hawaiian 

 representatives — contained in the Munich Catalogue of the year 1868, 23 species, nearly 

 all from the Palaearctic region, and placed in the single genus Oligota. The Central 

 European region is, so far as we can judge at present, the metropolis of the group. In 

 Ganglbauer's recent work " Kafer Mitteleuropas " 10 species are registered and all are 

 placed in Oligota, with its two subgenera Holobns and Oligota proper. In the Hawaiian 

 group of islands about 30 species have already been brought to light and they exhibit a 

 most remarkable network of precinctive forms. 



I regret extremely that I am not in a position to give a satisfactory analysis of this 

 truly remarkable insular group. Oligotini are amongst the smallest of the Staphylinidae, 

 a creature 2mm. long would be a giant in the tribe: they also lose their natural shape 

 when dried, and are very difficult to restore. To the collector they appear very much 

 alike, and therefore they have not been adequately collected. 



Our Hawaiian forms should no doubt form four or five genera, but I am not able to 

 precisely define them, so that after separating the genus Liophaena with three species, I 

 place the other Hawaiian forms under the genus Oligota, and adopt five subgenera as 

 follows. 



Elytra very short, not longer than the thorax; form slender Deroligota siibg. n. 



Elytra longer than the thorax : — 



Mandibles very long and slender Gnatholigola %\\hg. n. 



Mandibles normal : — 



Antennae slender, abdomen rounded at the sides Nesoligota iwhg. n. 



Antennae very thick, abdomen narrowed from base to tip Hulohiis Solier. 



Abdomen subparallel (except at last segments) Oligota s. str. 



