150 Mr. U, Shav^ Contributions to the 



Leistotropiius. 



This genus consists of a feAV species, but is of vciy Avicic 

 distribution. South America possesses but a single species, 

 Avhich, liowever, is the most developed and remarkable of 

 the genus. The two species described by Motschoulsky 

 under the generic name of Trichoderj/ui, -which, in the 

 ^Munich Catalogue, are recorded as South American 

 species of LeistotropJius, belong clearly, from ]\lotschoul- 

 sky's description, to the genus Staphylinus. 



1. Staphylinus versicolor, Grav. 



Para, Ega, Tapajos. 



One of the individuals is labelled as found in cow-dung; 

 the species, like its European congeners, frequents, no 

 doubt, putrescent substances for predaceous purposes. 



Staphylinus. 



I have used this name with the same extension as that 

 given to it in the Munich Catalogue of Colcoptcra, -where 

 it includes about 100 species, found in all parts of the 

 -world. It is a genus of which the species are extremely 

 closely allied, but yet, studied on the European ones, have 

 proved to be incontestably distinct. The exotic species 

 are jirobably extremely numerous, and their discrimination 

 ■will be no easy task. I here enumerate nine species from 

 the Amazon Valley, seven of which I have described as 

 new; of these the first two, viz., S. suhcyancus and S. ]>ar- 

 viceps, are quite distinct, by their combinations of colour 

 and sculpture, from any others I am acquainted with. 

 The same remark applies to S. yratiosus and S. yratus, 

 but S. prisons and »S'. vctustus arc very closely allied to 

 the aS". (intiquus and some other imdescribed South Ameri- 

 can forms, and thus appertain to Avhat is imdoubtedly a 

 most difficult group; Avliile the S. aniazonicus perhaps 

 finds its nearest ally in the North American *S'. tomentosus. 

 It is worthy of notice that ]Mr. liates brought back nothing 

 to represent the very remarkable S. Bnquetii group, of 

 which species are found in ^lexico, Peru and Brazil ; it 

 will be remarkable if no allied species is found in the 

 Amazon Valley, and yet so large and striking are they, 

 that if ])resent one would think they Avould scarcely have 

 been neglected by Mv. Bates during the whole of his long 

 residence there. 



