Med07l.] STAPHYLINIDiE. 317 



1«. apicalls, Kr. {sericellus, Fairm.)- Reddish-castaneous, rather 

 dull, with the head black or blackish, and the apex of elytra, at all 

 events at posterior angles, dark ; it conies very near to M. ripicnia, but 

 may be distinguished (apart from the colour of the elytra, which is not 

 always to be relied upon) by having the thorax narrower in proportion 

 to the elytra, and the fact that the central smooth line of the former is 

 only distinct behind ; the antennae are somewhat shorter and have the 

 joints more moniliform ; the hind body is usually darker, but this is 

 variable ; the mesosternum whore it comes to a point at apex is not 

 keeled in this species, Avhereas in M. ripkola it is furnished with a small 

 but distinct keel, and in the male the sixth ventral segment of hind 

 body, instead of being deeply emarginate as in the last-mentioned species, 

 is only very shallowly bisinuate. L. 3i mm. 



In moss, dead leaves, haystack refuse, &c. ; very rare: Reisafce (E. Saunders): 



TfL. propinquus, Bris. {vicinus, Bris., hetus, Thoms.). Somewhat 

 linear and elongate, with the head black, the thorax testaceous red, the 

 elytra pitchy red, often brownish, and the hind body dull black, with 

 apex more or le>s reddish ; head subquadrate, parallel-sided, about as 

 broad as thorax, rather thickly punctured at sides, disc nearly smooth, 

 the whole surface between the punctures very plainly shagreened (if 

 viewed under a high magnifying power) ; antennae short, with penulti- 

 mate joints subtransverse, red, or pitchy red, with base and often apes 

 lighter ; thorax subquadrate, or scarcely longer than broad, with sides 

 parallel, finely and rather thickly punctured with a distinct smooth 

 longitudinal central line ; elytra evidently longer than thorax, finely, 

 thickly, and somewhat asperately punctured ; hind body very finely and 

 thickly punctured ; legs lighter or darker testaceous. L. 3 mm. 



I\Iale with the seventh ventral segment of hind body broadly and 

 somewhat angularly emarginate at apex, sixth segment simple. 



In moss, haystack refuse, &c. ; common and generally distributed throughout the 

 southern and midland districts of England ; not recorded, however, from furtlier north 

 than Liverpool, or from Scotland; Ireland, Gahvay. This species is, however, so 

 often confused with the following that the localilies cannot altogether be depended 

 upon. 



3W. melanocephalus, F. {nee Er. ?) (bicolor, 01., 1 var.). Very 

 closely allied to the preceding, but easily distinguished by the shorter 

 elytra, which are about the length of the thorax (and often appear even 

 somewhat shorter), and are slightly dilated behind ; the most reliable 

 character, however, is found in the fact tliat the head is quite smooth 

 and not shagreened between the punctures ; in the male the sixth 

 ventral segment of the hind body is slightly but plainly emarginate in 

 middle of apical margin, and has a smooth longitudinal impression before 

 the emargination, whereas in the male of M. propinquus this segment is 

 quite simple. L. 3 mm. 



