llumalota.] staphylinid.t:. 133 



Male with the apex of dorsal plaio of seventh segment of hiiul body 

 indistinctly emarginate, ventral plate rounded, female Avith the ventral 

 plate emarginate and ciliated. 



In dung, haystack refuse, vegetable refuse, &c. ; extremely abundant throughout 

 the kingdom. 



H. consang-uineajEpplesheim (Coprothassa consan guinea, H. Ii.W.). 

 I'itchy Ijlack or brownish with the t-horax slightly lighter, the elytra red- 

 dish or reddish brown, and the apex of hind body broadly testaceous ; 

 head rather large, finely but not very closely punctured ; antennae long 

 and robust, pitchy black Avilh base sometimes ferruginous, joints 2-3 of 

 about equal lengtlr, much longer than fourth, 5-10 not ditfering much 

 in length, tlie penultimate being about as long as broad, last joint 

 long, pointed, at least as long as the two preceding together ; thoi-ax 

 transverse with sides rather evenly and not strongly rounded, and not 

 strongly narix)wed in front, the apex being nearly as broad as the 

 base, punctuation fine ; elytra about as long as thorax, finely sculp- 

 tured ; hind body not strongly narrowed behind, very finely punc- 

 tured, less evidently at apex than at base ; legs clear testaceous 

 yellow. L. 2^-3 mm. 



The male appears to have the under plate of the seventh segment of 

 hind body produced beyond the upper plate and rounded. 



Several specimens of this rare species were taken by Mr. E. Saunders 

 in a sandy place at Hollington near Hastings in 1871 ; there is no 

 doubt as to their being indigenous, but JM. Fauvel, who kindly deter- 

 mined the species for me, expressed his surprise at their occurrence in 

 Britain, as the species is mainly an Austrian one, and does not occur at 

 all in France. 



In general appearance //. consanginnca strongly resembles //. sordida, 

 and H. testudinea, but is easily distinguished by the shape of the 

 thorax and the sculpture of the hind body, which is, moreover, not so 

 much narrowed behind : judghig from the specimens before me, it must 

 when alive be a bright and conspicuous-looking insect. 



Group 21. 



The species belonging to this group arc characterized by having the 

 hind body strongly pointed at apex and thickly punctured througliout, 

 and also l>y having the thorax strongly narrowed towards the front ; they 

 form a natural group, although they vary considerably in size and 

 colour ; one or two of them are, at first sight, extremely like H. cauia 

 and its allies ; they occur in dung, vcgetalile refuse, moss, leaves, &c. 



K. sordida, INfarsh {lividipeimis, Er., Heer, &c., fiilriperniis, Kol., 

 Coprothassa melanarid, Thonis., Colpodoia (Hemitropia) melanaria, ^Nluls. 

 et liey). This distinct and common species has been generally suppo.-ed to 

 be the O.ri/poda meJanaria of jMannerheim, but, as in the catalogue of 

 Heyden Reitter and Weise the name melunaria is applied tn the folli.wing 



