310 STAPHYLINID^. \_StiUc%lS. 



tarsi more or less infuscate, intermediate and posterior tibiae often almost 

 entirely black. L. 4| mm. 



Male with the sixth ventral segment of hind body slightly and broadly 

 emarginate at apex, sometimes depressed in middle, seventh more deeply 

 and narrowly emarginate in a rounded angle. 



In damp haystack refuse, hotbeds and vegetable rubbish generally, also in moss, at 

 roots of grass, &c. ; very common and generally distributed in England ; rarer further 

 north ; Scotland, not common, SoUvay, Tweed, and Forth districts; Ireland, Dublin, 

 Armagh, Waterford, Gal way, and probably generally distributed. 



S. g-eniculatus, Er. (similis, var. b, Heer). This species is of 

 about the same size as the preceding, but may be distinguished by the 

 elytra being strongly and closely punctured, and the narrower central 

 line of thorax, which is channelled for all, or the greater part of, its 

 length ; the apex of the elytra is usually concolorous or almost concolo- 

 rous, whereas in S. affinis it is more or less distinctly testaceous ; as a rule 

 it may be easily distinguished by having the knees only of the inter- 

 mediate and posterior legs dusky, but as this is a somewhat variable 

 character in aS'. offinis, the other differences must always be taken into con- 

 sideration ; the male characters are peculiar and closely resemble those of 

 S. similis ; in fact this species bears a strong affinity to this latter insect, 

 but it is a little smaller as a rule, and has the elytra rather more closely 

 punctured ; the colour of the knees will, as a rule, at once separate it, as 

 in S. similis the legs are entirely testaceous, with the exception of the 

 coxae. L. 4|-4f mm. 



In moss on chalky hill-sides, at roots of grass in marshy places, in haystack refuse, 

 &c. ; local ; London district, Kent and Surrey, &c., very generally distributed, Chat- 

 ham, Lee, Maidstone, Barnes, Putney, Wimbledon, Walton, Egham, Box Hill, 

 Caterham, Croydon, Shirley, Staines, Hammersmith, Tonbridge, Bearsted, Cowley : 

 I know of no record outside the London counties except Galway, Ireland, where it has 

 been taken by Mr. J. J. Walker. Mulsant and Key mention it as being very rare in 

 France. 



SCOFSIUS, Erichson. 



This genus comprises about sixty species, which are very widely dis- 

 tributed over the greater part of the world, representatives occurring in 

 Japan, Ceylon, Chili, the Amazon district, Australia, &c. ; some of these 

 are very closely allied to one another and can scarcely be separated with- 

 out reference to the oedeagus or the chitinous portion of the male genital 

 organs, which in this and other genera often aflbrds important characters; 

 there are about a dozen European species, of which we possess three or 

 four as British ; they are very small, narrow, and linear, and occur in 

 moss, under stones, in vegetable refuse, &c. ; all our species are rare and 

 are seldom met with. 



I. Head longer, suboval ; antennae elongate ; elytra finely 



punctured, smooth and shiny S. Erichsoni, KoL 



