rial ystethus.'] staphylinid.e. 375 



P. capito, I leer. {pih)f<cllus, Wank.). Shining black, rather narrower 

 in middle ; head broader or narrower according to sex, rather convex and 

 smooth before antennre, strongly and rather thickly pnnctured behind, 

 more coarsely at sides, vertex with a rather indistinct central furrow ; 

 antennae long, black, with penultimate joints more or less transverse 

 according to sex ; thorax evidently broader than long, plaiidy con- 

 tracted behind, very strongly and coarsely punctured, the punctures at 

 sides being setigerous, with distinct central furrow ; elytra transverse, 

 hardly as long as thorax, strongly punctured ; hind body narrower at 

 base than elytra, considerably Avidened behind, almost smooth or very 

 finely shagreened ; legs pitchy, or pitchy-testaceous, with tarsi, and some- 

 times tibia?, lighter. L. 2|-3 mm. 



Male with the seventh ventral segment of hind body broadly depressed, 

 and furnished with a small spine on each side of the depression. 



In haystack refuse, dung:-heaps, &c. ; often in sandpits ; local ; Loudon districf, 

 not uncommon, Darenth Wood, Sheerncss, Chatham, Cobham, Sevenoaks, Shirley, 

 Walton-ou-Thames, Reigate, Dulwich, Boarsted, Sanderstead, Croydou ; Folkestone; 

 Dover ; apparently not recorded from any other districts. 



P. nodifrons, Sahib. This species may at once be distinguished 

 from the preceding by the much finer punctuation of the thorax and 

 elytra ; the head is usually strongly striate on the internal border of the 

 eyes, but this character does not appear always to hold good ; the 

 antennae are rather shorter in proportion than in P. capita, with the 

 penultimate joints somewhat more strongly transverse ; the elytra are 

 slightly longer in proportion to thorax, and the hind body is subparallel 

 and not much widened behind; the legs are lighter in colour; in the 

 nuile the seventh ventral segment ,of hind body is furnished with two 

 keels in middle. L. 2|-2| mm. 



In haystack, flood, and vegetable refuse ; local, but apparently more widely distri- 

 buted than the preceding; London district, not uncommon, Sheerness, Gravesend, 

 Chatham, Forest Hill, Waltou-ou -Thames, Highgate, Greenwich, Tonbridge, Bird, 

 brook; Isle of Wight; Portland; Littliiigtou, Sussex ; Bedford; Whittlesea Mere; 

 Tewkesbury. 



P. nitens, Sahib, {sfriafulns, Heer.). Very closely allied to the 

 preceding, with which it has been considered identical by some authors, 

 but distinguished by its smaller size (which point, however, is not of 

 much value in this genus), the more clifi'use punctuation of the head, 

 thorax, and elytra, the structure of the scntellum, and the characters of 

 the seventh ventral segment of the hind body, which is imi)ressed and 

 bounded on each side of the impression by a keel which projects beyond 

 apex in a spine, and is flanked outside by a short, small, and indistinct 

 tooth. L. H-2 mm. 



In haystack refuse, under loose bark, &c. • rare ; Forest Hill, Brockley, Highgate, 

 Croydon, Lee, VVaddon (Surrey) ; Dagenham ; Lie of Wight ; Salford Prior- ; 

 Ti wkesbury : it appi ars rather to frequent chalky places; it has been recorded 

 Iroiii Tain, Koss-shire, N.B., but this may be in error. Superficially this spee'es 

 apjiears to be difficult to distinguish from the preceding, and to be often confounded 

 with it. 



