18 1 ' STAPHYHNiDiE. [_Tachypurimv. 



of the northern and temperate regions than of the tropics ; they form a 

 natural group, and may be known, as a rule, by their external appear- 

 ance, their shape being fusiforn, with the hind body more or less 

 strongly narrowed and conical ; the group Tachyporini was first established 

 by Erichson, and defined by him as being composed of Staphylinidae, 

 "having the prothoracic stigmata apparent, and the antennae inserted at 

 the base of the forehead, under a lateral border, above the mandibles, and 

 below the eyes ; " Pandelle (Monograph of the European Tachyporini, 

 Ann. Franc. 1869, p. 261) takes excei'tion to this definition, and dis- 

 tinguishes them by the smooth head, which is not impressed or contracted 

 behind into a neck, the shape of the thorax, which is more contracted in 

 front than behind, and is broadest behind middle, the conspicuous 

 prothoracic stigmata, and the broad epipleurse of elytra, which are 

 sharply bounded by a distinct keel above and below, as well as by the 

 large coxre ; to these may be added these further characters of Mulsant 

 and Key: — Forehead evidently prolonged before the insertion of antennae; 

 tem])h^s separated beneath by a wide interval ; tibige usually spinose; the 

 maxillary palpi consist of four joints and the labial palpi of three in all 

 the genera. The group may be divided into two very natural tribes as 

 follows: — 



I. Antennffi 10-jointcd ; all the tarsi 4-jointed ; form sub-glo- 



bosely trian^uliir, very small Htpoctptina. 



II. Antenuaj 11-joiuted'; all the tarsi 5-jointed ; form more or less 



elongate, larger Tachtpokina. 



HYPOCYPTINA. 



This tribe contains one British genus, Hypocyptus, which is sufiiciently 

 characterized by the number of joints in the antennae and tarsi, as well 

 as by its shape and minute size ; there is one other European genus 

 contained in the tribe, and Dr. Horn has recently established two or 

 three others for single North American species. 



HITPOCVPTUS, Mannerheim. {Cypha, Steph.) 



This genus comprises from twenty to thirty species, which chiefly 

 occur in the European and North American regions; a species, however, 

 has been described from Ceylon, and it is probable that the genus is 

 very widely distributed, as the minute size ot its members renders it very 

 easy for them to be overlooked : there is hardly any genus that is in 

 such a state of confusion ; Pandelle in his Monograph of the European 

 Tachyporini (Ann. Soc. Ent. de France, 1869, p. 281-285) enumerates 

 eleven species ; in the last European catalogue ten species are mentioned ; 

 Mulsant and Key, however, give twelve species as found in France alone ; 

 several of these are evidently synonymous with other species, and are 

 regarded as such by Heyden, Eeitter, and Weise ; in the British collec- 

 tions of the genus now before me I believe that there are very probably 



