Honialota.] STAPHYLINIDiE. 119 



with segments 2-4 distinctly and rather closely punctured, fifth spar- 

 ingly and finely punctured, sixth nearly impunctate ; legs testaceous, 

 sometimes slightly pitchy. L. 2 mm. 



Male with dorsal plate of seventh segment of hind body with two 

 stout rounded teeth or tubercles, separated at apex by a slight notch, and 

 with a rather longer, slender, pointed spine on each side, curved 

 inwards. 



In decayiug fimgi. dead loaves, &c., especially in the autumn ; Inoil, but occasionally 

 found in imuibers ; Loudon district, generally; Littlingtou, Sussex; Tonbridge ; 

 JStoui'port, Birmingham district, fungi; not recorded from further north. 



K. autuxnnalis, Er. (foveola, Muls. et Key, laticornis, Mots., 

 Microdota aufumnalis, Muls. et Rey). Rather like the preceding, but dis- 

 tinguished from it by being more sparingly punctured and pubescent, 

 by its brighter-coloured legs and base of antennae, and by the shape of the 

 thorax which has the sides straighter and less narrowed in front ; the 

 antennse also are shorter ; black, rather dull, with the elytra brownish ; 

 head broad, indistinctly punctured ; antennse pitchy with the three basal 

 joints yellow, third joint more slender thaii second, but nearly as long, 

 fourth small, nearly as long as broad, 5-10 plainly transverse ; thorax 

 transveree, nearly as broad in front as behind, finely and sparingly 

 punctured, with an indistinct longitudinal central channel ; elytra longer 

 than thorax and more closely and distinctly punctured ; hind body with 

 segments 2—1 sparingly and moderately finely punctured, 5-6 nearly 

 impunctate ; legs yellow. L. 2 mm. 



Male with the front of the head channelled, hind margin of dorsal 

 plate of seventh segment of hind body furnished with four teeth, the 

 lateral ones fine and pointed and separated from the middle ones by a 

 deep excision on each side, the middle ones broad and rounded and near 

 one another ; segments 5-6 Avith oblong granulations ; the whole upper 

 surface is rather strongly alutaceous between the punctures in both 

 sexes, and hence the dull appearance of the insect. 



In marshy places ; often under bark ; also at the exuding frass of CoMMS-infeoted 

 trees; rare; Norwood, Coombe Wood, Cowley (Power, at sap); Hampstead; Ton- 

 bridge ; Granvilles Wotton ; New Forest ; Bedford ; Bfwdley Forest ; Salt'ord 

 Priors; Knowle, near Birmingham ; also recorded from Manchester, but from uo place 

 further north. 



This species curls up its hind body in running like a Gijrophcena. 



Group 17. 



This group is composed of small species, none of them except large 

 specimens of //. sericea exceeding 2 mm. in length, and some of them 

 being among the smallest representatives of the genus ; H. inquinula, 

 in fact, is the smallest species known ; the species are found in moss, 

 fungi, bottoms of haystacks, and in vegetable refuse generally ; also in 

 dung, and dead birds and animals, and occasionally at sap ; some of 



