122 STAPHYLINID^. \_IIomalota. 



ZI. atrlcolor, Sliarp. Yery closely allied to the preceding, but it 

 is slightly smaller, and plainly narrower, and the punctuation, although 

 fine, is distinctly rough; the antennae appear to be a little shorter, and 

 the elytra are plainly longer in proportion to the thorax ; the hind body 

 also is differently punctured, segments 2-4 being rather closely and 

 finely, but roughly punctured, fifth more sparingly punctured^ sixth 

 nearly impunctate ; legs black or pitchy black. L. 1-^ mm. 



Male with the apex of dorsal plate of seventh segment truncate in 



middle. 



In moss, hnystack refuse, dunor, dead animals, &o. ; extremely abundant tliroughout 

 Scotland ; not so common in England and Wales, but widely distributed, and by no 

 means uncommon in many localities ; Mr. Blatch records it as abundant under elm 

 bark in Sherwood Forest. 



K. inquinula, Er. {Microdota inquinula, ]\Iuls. et Eey). A A^ery 

 praall, linear species, in fact, the smallest species of the genus ; punctua- 

 tion and pubescence rather close and fine ; colour y)lack, with the elytra 

 obscurely brownish or pitchy ; head rather large and long with a distinct 

 channel or impression in middle; antennte short and rather stout, joints 

 1-3 stout, second joint stouter and much longer than third, 4-10 trans- 

 verse, 5-10 strongly so, eleventh stout and pointed as long as the two 

 preceding ; thorax about a third broader than long, sometimes channelled ; 

 elytra longer and broader than thorax ; hind body shining, segments 

 2-4 finely and rather closely punctured, fifth finely and sparingly 

 punctured, sixth more sparingly punctured ; legs dirty yellow or pitchy. 

 L. |-1 mm. 

 -^ — Male with the apical margin of dorsal plate of seventh segment 

 obtusely truncate in middle. 



In dung ; local but not uncommon in snudy places in tbe London district, and south 

 of England. London district generally, Darentb, Mickleham, Birch Wood, Cowley, 

 Cow fold near Horsham, Tonbridge, Hanipstead, Southend, &c. I can find no record 

 from the Aiidlands or further north, but the species from its minute size is probably 

 oi'tcn overlooked, unless specially searched for. 



Section VII. 



Hind body more or less distinctly narrowed to apex ; hinder angles of 

 thorax rounded. 



I'his section may be divided into five groups as follows : the species 

 belonging to Groups 21 and 22 are included together by Ur. Sharp as 

 species of moderate size, but //. parva and its allies are distinctly small 

 species, and are often confounded by beginners with the //. nigra group, 

 and appear naturally to succeed them, at all events more naturally than 

 H. marrida, intermedia, and longicornis ; of these and tAvo other species 

 I have formed Group 22, and placed it immediately before the //. me- 

 lanaria group, to which H. longicornis appears to bear a distinct 

 relation. 



