306 STAPHYLiNiD^. [Cri/ptobium. 



Australia, &c. ; the sexual characters are often very peculiar ; the large 

 number of species which Mr. Champion captured in Central America 

 were taken by him chiefly on the sandy banks of rivers and streams, 

 especially in the dry season, but some occurred in dark places in the 

 forests and others in the more open country ; the species may be distin- 

 guished by the very long first joint of the antennse, which gives them 

 the appearance of being strongly geniculate. 



C. g'laberrimuin, Herbst. {fracUcorne, Payk., hrevipenne, Muls.). 

 Rather narrow and linear, shining black ; head oblong, rather long, 

 slightly narrower than thorax, more strongly and sparingly punctured on 

 disc than at sides ; antennse lighter or darker pitchy-red, shorter than 

 head and thorax united, joints 4-10 gradually shorter, the penultimate 

 being hardly oblong, the first joint very long, equal to the four following 

 united and forming a long scape, so that the antennae appear strongly 

 geniculate ; thorax longer than broad, narrower than elytra, moderately 

 punctured, with two distinct series of punctures on disc, separated by a 

 smooth space ; elytra variable less long or a little shorter than thorax, 

 occasionally considerably shorter in which case the wings are either rudi- 

 mentary or wanting, punctuation rather strong and more or less dense ; 

 hind body very finely and thickly punctured, finely and closely pubes- 

 cent ; legs testaceous, tibise often a little darker, coxoe reddish brown. 

 L. 4|-5 mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind body deeply and 

 narrowly incised, sixth impressed longitudinally, slightly emarginate at 

 apex. 



Marshy places in moss, especially sphagnum, at roots of grass, &c. ; not uncommon ; 

 London district, general ; New Forest ; Portsmouth ; Reptou ; Coleshill ; Bewdley ; 

 Cannock Chase ; Oxfordshire ; Manchester district ; Chat Moss ; Scoth^ud, common 

 in the south, Tweed, Forth, and Solway districts ; Ireland, Armagh, Gahvay, &c. ; it 

 probably occurs in the north of England. 



STIIiZCUS, Latreille. {Rugilus, Ciirtis.) 



This genus comprises about forty or fifty species, which are very widely 

 distributed throughout the world ; ten are found in Europe, and the rest 

 are found in Central Asia, Ceylon, Japan, North and South i\merica 

 (Columbia, Brazil, Chili, &c.), South Africa, Australia and New Guinea, 

 &c. ; the species are remarkable for their large heads which are often 

 broader than the elytra, and the exceedingly narrow neck by which 

 they are attached to the thorax, the thorax being strongly narrowed and 

 brought to a point in front ; some of them have very much the appear- 

 ance of large ants ; there are seven British species, one or two of which 

 are very distinct, but some require care in their determination ; the 

 characters depending on the smooth central line of thorax (whether entire 

 or abbreviated, &c.) are somewhat deceptive, as also are those depending 

 on the colour of the legs, these being lighter in immature specimens ; the 



