72 Mr. D. Sharp's Contributions to the 



GyROPH/ENA. 



Eleven species refciTed by me to this genvis are here 

 described: one of these, viz,, G. pumila, is among the 

 smallest of known Staphylinidce ; two others, G. boops 

 and G. debilis, depart widely from the European species 

 of the genus, inasmuch as they have the eyes of v^nusual 

 size, far suri)assing in this particular any other Aleocha- 

 ridce known to me. Th-ichson has already described, from 

 Brazil and North America, one or two species resembling 

 them in this respect, and the Eiu-opean species differ 

 somewhat from one another in the size of the eyes and the 

 form of the head, so that I do not consider that it is at 

 present advisable to make a distinct generic name for these 

 insects. 



The genus, as at present understood, is probably distri- 

 buted over nearly all quarters of the world, but the extra- 

 European species as yet described are not very numerous ; 

 only three, in fact, have yet been described from tropical 

 America; though, judging from the number here de- 

 scribed, as well as from numerous other s])ecies in my 

 collection, it is pretty certain that these insects will prove 

 to be very rich in species in South America. 



1. GyrophcEna pumila, n. sp. Fusca, nitidida, fere im- 

 punctata, antennis pedibusque testaceis, prothorace valde 

 transverso, basi et lateribus rotundatis. Long. corp. 

 ilin. 



Antennae short and stout, yellow ; 2nd joint stout ; 

 3rd joint small, much shorter and thinner than 2nd, the 

 basal much narroAver than the apical portion ; 4th joint 

 much smaller than the following ones ; 5 — 10 nearly equal 

 to one another in breadth, the 10th, hoAvever, a little 

 broader and longer than the 5th, eacli of them transverse ; 

 11th joint stout, obtuse. Head small, a good deal nar- 

 roAver than the thorax ; the eyes small, the surface smooth 

 and shining. Thorax A'ery transverse, a little naiTOAver 

 than the elytra, more than tAvice as broad as long ; the 

 base greatly rounded, the surface smooth and shining. 

 Elytra short, a little longer than the thorax, Avith a fcAv 

 indistinct and distant punctures. Hind body impunctate. 

 Legs yellow. 



Kio Purus, 24th September, 1874, Dr. Trail ; a consi- 

 derable number of examples were found, but most of them 



