Ontlwphihts.'] claticornia, 217 



O. globulostis, 01. {sulcatus, F.). Oval, suborLieular,- Llack, sliglitly 

 shining ; head small, antennse comparatively long and slender, reddish- 

 brown, forehead concave ; thorax with a central keel, which is double 

 and interrupted, and two others on each side, abbreviated in front, the 

 interval between them being filled with large coarse punctures ; elytra 

 very convex, narrowed at apex, with suture raised, and three strong keels 

 on each, the intervals between these being each filled with five slightly 

 raised lines, of which the central is the most distinct ; legs pitchy- 

 brown, rather long and slender ; pygidium plainly punctured. L. 3-3-|- 

 mm. 



In dunof, decayiug vegetable refusp,-&c. ; apparently very rare ; I have uot heard 

 of its having been taken in Britain for many years ; Stephens records it from Coombe 

 Wood (Surrey), Nottinghamshire, Norfolk, and Kiugsbridge (Devon). 



O. striatiis, F. Much smaller than the preceding, and easily dis- 

 tinguished by having six distinct raised keels on thorax, the intervals 

 between which are longitudinally wrinkled ; the space betAveen the outer- 

 most keel and the margin is riigosely punctured ; each of the elytra is 

 furnished with three strong raised keels, and three rather smaller ones, 

 so that there appear to be six on each, and the spaces Ijetween are filled 

 with small raised lines, and are remotely and coarsely punctured in single 

 rows ; pygidium and propygidium Avith raised lines, closely punctured. 

 L. lf-2imm. 



In dung, haystack, and vegetable refuse, birds' nests, kc. ; common and generally 

 distributed in England and Scotland ; Ireland, near Dublin, Watei'ford, Belfast, &c., 

 and probably common. 



MICROPEPLID^. 



The position of this family has been much disputed ; it has usually 

 been placed at the end of the Staphylinidse, but seems to present but 

 little afl&nity to that family ; Thomson places it between the Eyturidaj 

 and the Dermestidas, which hardly seems a good position ; as a matter 

 of fact the true affinities of the family are by no means known, but the 

 position here assigned to it between Onthophilas on the one hand, and 

 the Nitidulidee on the other (to certain members of wdiich latter family 

 the species bear a considerable resemblance), seems as good a one as can 

 be assigned to it in the present state of our knowledge ; the family in- 

 cludes two genera, MicrojyejAus and Kalissus, the former of which has 

 the thorax, elytra, and abdomen strongly costate, whereas the latter is 

 smooth and not costate ; in both genera the antennae are apparently 9- 

 jointed and the tarsi 3-jointed, and the anterior coxae are transverse and 

 not prominent ; the second ventral segment is dilated in the middle and 

 separates the hind coxae. 



SXXCROPSiPXiUS, Latreille. 

 This genus contains rather more than twenty species, which arc found 



