218 CLAVicoRKiA. [lUicrojjejjlus. 



in Europe, Northern Asia, Japan, and North America, and one has recently 

 been described from Guatemala ; they may at once be distinguished by 

 their short elytra and by the peculiar ribbed appearance of the whole 

 upper surface of the body, and also by their short antennte which termi- 

 nate in what appears to be a single-jointed club ; it is, however, obsoletely 

 3-jointed, and therefore the antennae must be regarded as 11 -jointed, and 

 notj as they are by Kraatz and other authors, as 9-jointed ; the tarsi are 

 3-jointed; our species are found in haystack and vegetable refuse, by 

 sweeping, &c., and occasionally in mud in marshy places ; Thomson says 

 that they live almost exclusively in mud by the side of lakes and streams, 

 and that he has never taken them in refuse. In the male the seventh 

 ventral segment of hind body is emarginate at apex, 



I. Interstices of elytra strongly and coarsely punc- 



tured. 



i. Elytra with five longitudinal lines on each 

 strongly raised (the outer ones somewhat ir- 

 regular), suture less strongly raised . . . . M. poecatuS, Fayh. 



ii. Elytra with suture and four lines on each strongly 

 raised. 



1. Vertex of head with one raised longitudinal 



line M. staphtlinoides, Marsh. 



2. Vertex of head with three raised longitudinal 



lines, converging in front M. maegaeit^, Duv. 



II. Interstices of elytra smooth ; tlytra with suture 



and three longitudinal lines on each strongly 



raised M. tesseeula, Curt. 



XVI. porcatus, Payk. Black, dull ; head small, strongly rugose, with 

 a raised line on vertex ; antennse dark with base reddish, sometimes with 

 club only dark ; thorax transverse, with sides angulated, deeply im- 

 pressed, extremely finely rugose or shagreened, posterior angles sharp ; 

 elytra much longer than thorax with five raised lines on each (besides 

 suture), the outer ones irregular, interstices strongly punctured ; first four 

 visible segments of abdomen divided into deep squares by longitudinal 

 ribs ; legs lighter or darker red with femora pitchy. L. 2 mm. 



In haystack and vegetahle refuse ; local; London di:-trict not uncommon, Seven- 

 oaks, Farnham, Mickleluun, Birch Wood, Forest Hill, Reigate, Claygate, &c. ; Hast- 

 ings ; Gliiuvilles Wootton ; Devonshire ; Swansea ; Repton ; Nottinghamshire ; 

 Liverpool; Chat Moss ; York; Carlisle; Northumberland district; Scotland, Low- 

 lands, not common, Solway and Forth districts; Ii-eland, Portmarnock. 



m. staphylinoides, Marsh (ohtusus, Newm.). About the length 

 of 31. porcatus, but rather narrower, pitchy-brown, often reddish, with 

 the head and middle of thorax and hind body darker; the antennae and 

 legs are clear testaceous ; the vertex of head is furnished with one longi- 

 tudinal raised line ; the elytra have four lines on each besides the suture 

 strongly raised ; the first three visible segments of the abdomen are 

 divided into squares by longitudinal ribs, but the central rib is extended 

 at least to the middle of the fourth ; in the male the front of the head 

 is toothed. L. 2 mm. 



