Aleocharina'.] STAPHYLixiDiH, 7 



ALEOCHARIN^. 



"With roganl to tliis suh-faniily, Dr. Sliarii (Biologia Cenlrali- 

 Americnna, fStapliylinida?, p. 145) writes as I'ulluws : — 



"This sub-family is tliu most extensive and least studied of those 

 comprised in the family, and its treatment in a satisfactory manner is a 

 matter of extreme difficulty. Of the vast number of extra-European 

 forms that no doubt exist but little is yet known, even the North- 

 American forms having been hitherto neglected by Entomologists. If 

 we add to this the fact that the Aleocharina3 are all minute or quite 

 small insects of fragile and loosely articulated structure, with softer 

 chitinous envelope than is usual in the Coleoptera, it will readily bo 

 comprehended that the classification of the components of the sub-family 

 has scarcely connneuced : the large number of species and genera at 

 [)resent registered in the sub-family (amounting probably to 2000 species 

 and considerably more than 100 genera) renders it, however, advisal)le 

 tliat some method shall be adopted in their arrangement, if only with 

 the object of facilitating reference and of saving time; and 1 shall 

 accordingly make use of that recently proposed by j\[ulsant and Ecy for 

 the species of France in the ' Histoire Naturelle des Colcopteres do 

 France, Brevipennes, Aleochariens,' introducing, however, some modi- 

 fications in order to render it more simple. In this scheme the number 

 of joints of the tarsi is considered superior in importance to the condition 

 of the tropin, on Avhich Eiichson and Kraatz, the princijial previous 

 writers on the family, chiefly based their genera and arrangi-ment. It 

 would be out of place to discuss here the comparative claims of these 

 two methods to superiority, but it is clear that the advantages oflered l)y 

 the tarsal system, as regards facility of verificati'-tn and simplicity of 

 definition, are very great, and give it as a provisional method preponderant 

 importance." 



In the present work I have followed Dr. Sharp in adopting the tarsal 

 system ; at the same time it must be acknowledged that the (!xamiiiatiou 

 of the number of the tarsal joints is often attended with as much difficulty 

 and takes as much time as the examination of the trophi, which latter I 

 have dissected out in nearly all our genera of Staphylinid;x3 : if the tarsi 

 of some species are at all gummed, it is almost imitossible to determine 

 the number of their joints, and some require mounting in balsam to 

 ensure certainty as regards this point. 



Dr. Sharp also makes considerable use of a character which has been 

 to a certain extent employed by Thomson, and in greater measure by 

 Key : as this may be found of very great use by students, it is advisable 

 to cpiote Dr. Sharp's words on the siibject, as he appears to be the first 

 who has used definite terms to express it ; he says, " On examining some 

 of the Staphylinidse, such e.g. as a large Xanilwlmus, it will be observed 

 that the middle coxre are almost without true acetabula (orcoxal cavities); 

 this part of the limb, in fact, merely reposes on the surface of the breast, 



