Qifdius.'] STAniYLiNiD^. 2*27 



1. G(Mise witli a raisrd niari:^in ; elytra evenly and regularly punctate and pubescent. 



2. Genaj witliout raised niarijin; elytra evenly and regularly punctate and pubescent. 



3. Genaj with a raised margin ; elytra polished, with only a few setigerous ])uncturcs, 

 arranged in series, and in addition with a very regular series of conspicuous punc- 

 tures contiguous with the epipleural margin. 



These forms are not absolutely confined to the separate regions ; 

 examples of all three, for instance, occnr in Central America ; our British 

 forms must be, of course, referred to the first group, but the common Q. 

 cindus in some respects agrees better with the third ; Dr. Sharp, 

 however, informs me that the Tropical American forms are very remark- 

 able for the great size and convexity of the eyes, which are larger than 

 in the Eaphiriis section of Queditis, so that it cannot b(dong to the same 

 group, although as regards punctuation, &c., it appears to bcallied to them. 



The British species are about thii ty in number, and differ very much in 

 general appearance ; certain sections present great difficulties (notably 

 Q. fulgidus and its allies and varieties), and it is moreover very difficult 

 to find a satisfactory character on which to establish the main divisions ; 

 Erichson's character, "lower marginal projection from thorax of either 

 horny or parchment -like consistence," is very unsatisfactory, and the 

 divisions of Fairmaire and Laboulbene (Faune Ent. Franc, i. p. 535), 

 although useful, are very incomplete ; after some consideration I have 

 adopted Mulsant and Eey's scheme, which rests on the relative size of 

 the eyes, and the structure of the labrum ; this is evidently derived from 

 Thomson (Skand. Col. i. p. 25), and appears to afford the best method 

 for dividing the genus into natural and workable sub-genera ; at the same 

 time it must be borne in mind by the student that it is quite possible 

 for mistakes and confusion to arise without a careful study of the general 

 descriptions of the individual species. 



'Yhe \!\r\'Vi of Quedius fulgidus is described and figured by Scliiodte (ii. p. 115, pi. 

 X., fig. 17) : the head is oblong, subrectangular, nearly as broad as protliorax, which 

 is very slightly narrowed in front, and is as long as the nieso- and nieta-thorax together ; 

 the first abdominal segment is the shortest, and the following become gradually less 

 transverse, with the sides rather strongly rounded, the seventh and eighth being aJmoft 

 orbicular; the ninth segment is very narrow and cylindrical, and bears a very long 

 anal appendage twice its length, which becomes broader towards apex, and two cerci ; 

 of these latter the first joint is clivate at apex, and three tii^ies as long as the second ; 

 the antennffi are very short, and the legs are nnevtn, the first p;iir being the shortest ; 

 the chief character, however, is found in the- seta3, which are simple on the head and 

 thoracic segments, but on the abdominal region and tJie cerci are distinctly clavate at 

 iipex, like pins on a pincushion : this latter character appears also to be found in larvae 

 of other species of Quedius, but I do not know whether it is at all characteristic of 

 the genus; in J'el/eius the setse are all simple. 



Tlie larvae of Q. rufipes and its allies appear to have the body much narrowed and 

 contracted behind the head, and the abdomen rather widened with sides somewhat 

 rounded. The pup;e of Quedius have the " styli motorii " filiform and, in some species 

 at all events, only present on the anterior margin of the thorax, and the sides of the 

 seventh and eighth segments of abdomen. 



I. Eyes small, occupying about one-third of the sides of the head ; labrum bilobed. 

 Section I., Sub-Gen. Ediquus, Muls. et Eey (p. 228). 



