406 STAPHYLiNiD^, [Latkrwiccum. 



moderately rounded and central furrow very distinct, thickly and stron^^ly 

 punctured; elytra more than double as long as thorax, almost covering 

 hind body, strongly and rather regularly punctured in rows ; hind body 

 almost concealed, very finely punctured. L. 2|-3 mm. 



In moss, dead leaves, decaying: fungi, &c. ; common and generally distributed 

 throughout the greater part of England ; rarer further nortli ; Scotland, not common, 

 Tweed, Forth, and Dee districts ; Ireland, Armagh, and probably widely distributed. 



Ii. unicolor, Steph. (Juteum, Er.). Very like the preceding, but 

 evidently larger ; it may as a rule be distinguished by its much lighter- 

 coloured head, but in mature specimens this is sometimes nearly as dark 

 as in immature specimens of L. atrocephalwni ; the thorax has the cen- 

 tral furrow obsolete and abbreviated and very often absent, and the 

 elytra are distinctly more coarsely and somewhat less regularly punc- 

 tured. L. 3-3| mm. 



In moss, dead leaves, decaying fungi, &c. ; common and generally distributed 

 throughout the kingdom. 



DEXiZPHSlUEI, Erichson. 



This genus contains six or seven species, three of which are European; 

 two or three occur in Siberia and one in Colorado ; superficially they 

 much resemble Homalium, and are chiefly distinguished from that 

 genus by the relative length of the joints of the posterior tarsi ; they 

 occur in dung, especially sheep-dung, under bones, refuse, &c. ; the 

 sexual differences are unimportant, and are the same as in the preceding 

 genera. 



I. Length 3 mm. ; elytra confusedly punctured D. tectum, TayTc. 



II. Length 4^5 mm. ; elytra punctured in strise . . , . D. crekattjm, Grav. 



I>. tectum, Payk. Rather broad and depressed, shining black, with 

 the elytra testaceous, and the extreme margins of thorax reddish ; head 

 short, transversely triangular, very finely punctured ; antennae rather 

 short, a little thickened towards apex, blackish with the base sometimes 

 lighter, penultimate joints broader than long ; thorax transverse, 

 narrower in front than behind, nearly as broad behind as elytra, even 

 and somewhat convex, thickly and finely punctured, posterior angles 

 rounded ; elytra much longer than thorax, widened behind, thickly and 

 finely but rather deeply punctured ; hind body very finely punctured, 

 usually yellowish at apex ; legs testaceous. L. 3 mm. 



In sheep-dung, at sap, in refuse, flood rubbish, &c. ; not common ; I have taken it in 

 flood rubbish at Repton near Burton -on-Trent, and Mr. Blatch has found it under 

 bones at Knowle near Birmingham, but I know of no localities further south ; Mat- 

 lock ; Scarborough ; Cheshire ; Northumberland district (Gosforth, &c.) ; Scotland, 

 in sheep-dung and at oozing sap, local, but rather widely distributed, Tweed, Forth, 

 Tay, Dee, and Moray districts, usually on hills or mountains ; Ireland, Belfast (?). 



39. crenatuiu, Grav. Of a shining brownish colour, with the base 



