Staphijlinidae of the Amazon Vallet/. 165 



Philonthus. 



This generic name at present designates nearly four 

 hundred species found in all parts of the world. I here 

 describe nineteen new Amazonian species. These nineteen 

 species belong to several very different groups. P. amazo- 

 nicus is allied to our European P. scybalarhis ; P. coralli- 

 pennis to the group comprising the P. fulvipes and its 

 allies ; while P. deletus seems quite allied to our P. pro- 

 lixus, and, like it, has the appearance of a small Lathro- 

 bium. The other species are very different from any we 

 have in Europe. P. muticus is very like the depressed 

 Belonuchi, and P. gracillimus is very remarkable by its 

 elongate, narrow prothorax. The next seven species 

 belong to a brightly- coloured group of species which is 

 peculiar to South America, and of these seven P. palpalis 

 is remarkable by the dilated terminal joint of the labial 

 ])alpi. The next five species belong also to a group con- 

 fined to South America: the species in colour much 

 resemble those of the preceding group, but whereas in the 

 first of the two groups the anterior angles of the thorax 

 are distinct and rather pi*ominent, in the second they are 

 rounded and very depressed. The P. longipes is in form 

 similar to the species I have last named, but it has a very 

 peculiar punctuation along the margins of the thorax, and 

 its elytra are densely punctured. P. serraticornis is a re- 

 markably aberrant species, Avhich both in appearance and 

 structure approaches the insects I describe in this paper 

 under the generic name Gastrisus. 



1. Philonthus amazonicus, n. sp. Niger, pedibus fusco- 

 testaceis, abdomine subversicolore, apice indeterminate 

 rufo ; capite minore subovato, prothorace serie dorsali 

 5-punctato. Long. corp. 5 lin. 



Mas : tarsis anticis dilatatis, abdomine segmento 7° 

 ventrali margine apicali medio minus profunde triangu- 

 lariter excise. 



Fern. : tarsis anticis simplicibus. 



Allied to P. scyhalarius, but much larger. Antennre 

 quite as long as head and thorax, black, the first joint 

 pitchy : 3rd joint considerably longer than 2nd, 4 and 5 

 much longer than broad, 6 — 9 slightly produced on the 

 inner side, 1 0th rather longer than broad ; last joint Or 

 little longer than the 10th. Head small, sub-ovate, 

 narrower than the thorax, with two punctures near the 



