r/dhm/hus.] staphylinid^. 281 



somewhat orinciilar and narrower than thorax in female, antenna? 

 hlack, evidently thickened towards apex, with the penultimate joints 

 transverse ; thorax subquadrate, scarcely narrowed in front, with two 

 irregular series of about eight strong punctures, and the sides with 

 scattered punctures of the same character ; sometimes the series arc 

 broken up and the punctures are almost entirely scattered and separate ; 

 the number of punctures on each side rarely exceeds twelve or fifteen ; 

 elytra about as long as thorax, rather strongly, thickly, and somewhat 

 asperately or rugosely punctured ; hind body rather strongly punctured, 

 a little less closely behind ; legs black, occasionally dark pitchy-brown, 

 with the tarsi often brownish, anterior tarsi simple in both sexes. L. 

 7-8 mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind body plainly and an- 

 gularly sinuate in middle of apical margin. 



In cut grass, dung, dead birds, &c. ; local; London district, rare ; Chobham, Graves- 

 end, Cooni be Wood; New Forest; Sidmouth; Dean Forest (rather common); Cheshire; 

 Cannock Chase; Birmingham district ; Slierwood Forest; Repton ; Northumberland 

 district; Scotland, Sol way, Forth, Tay, and Dee districts ; Ireland, Armagh, &c. 



CAFIUS, Stephens. 



The species belonging to this genus have, as a rule, a very charac- 

 teristic appearance, and bear some relation in form to the Xantholininee ; 

 they inhabit the sea-coast or the margins of tidal rivers ; besides the 

 character presented by the longer lateral seta of the thorax alluded to 

 above (p. 259), they are separated from PhUonihus proper by having the 

 last joint of the maxillary palpi flattened, oval, and elongate, and almost 

 securiform ; from Actuhius they may be distinguished by having the first 

 joint of the posterior tarsi longer than the last joint, whereas in that 

 genus the last joint is about equal to the first ; there are four British 

 species which may be separated as follows : — 



I. Elytra coarsely punctured C. CICATBICOSUS, Er. 



II. Elytra finely punctured. 



i. Thorax with two series consisting of three large 

 punctures on disc, and a fourth near margin. 



1. Elytra unicolorous ; hind body without longi. 



tudinal lines of grey pubescence C. FTJCICOLA, Curtis, 



2. Elytra with lateral margins testaceous ; hind 



body with distinct lines of greyish pubescence . . C. XANTHOIiOMA, Grav. 

 ii. Thorax thickly punctured with only a longitudinal 



si>ace in centre smooth C. seeiceits. Holme. 



C cicatricosus, Er. Elongate, depressed, somewhat parallel- 

 sided, pitch-black, with the hind body pitchy red above and ferruginous 

 beneath ; the elytra are rather lighter coloured, as a rule, than the head 

 and thorax ; head very large, somewhat variable, but always broader 

 than thorax, subquadrate, with large round or oblong impressions or 

 cicatrices on disc ; antennae ferruginous with first joint dark, penultimate 

 joints slightly transverse ; thorax longer than broad, distinctly narrowed 



