StaphyliiiidcB of the Amazon Valley. 247 



dilated ; basal joint of hind tarsus rather longer than 2nd, 

 2 — 4 short and about similar to one another. 



Rio Madeira, 25th May, 1874; a single individual, 

 which I believe to be a female, found by Dr. Trail ; it was 

 attracted by light. 



DOLICAON. 



This generic name was first applied by Laporte to a 

 large Staphylinid from the Cape of Good Hope, and 

 Erichson afterwards included under it some European 

 insects very different in appearance from the South 

 African species above alluded to. The genus now com- 

 prises over twenty species, most of which are fi'om the 

 Mediterranean area, with one or two from India and 

 Australia. The insect I here describe as Dolicaon distans 

 is very different in appearance fi'om any of the forms 

 hitherto included in the genus, though in its structure it 

 appears to be rather similar to the Dolicaon lathrobioides, 

 fi-ora the Cape of Good Hope. As the genus already 

 contains species very different in appearance, some of 

 which will probably be grouped as distinct genera, there is 

 no harai in my adding to their number a distinct South 

 American form, Avhicli appears to offer all the recorded 

 characters of the genus. This insect, as I have above 

 remarked, has a peculiar facies, which at first reminds one 

 of the genus (Edichirus, and I should not feel at all sur- 

 prised if it ultimately ]3rove to mimic or resemble some 

 Amazonian species of that group. 



1. Dolicaon distans, n. sp. Angustulum, nigrum, 

 thorace piceo, elytrorum apice rufo, pedibus testaceis, 

 an tennis fusco- testaceis; thorace biseriatim punctato; 

 elytris hoc brevioribus, fortiter seriatim punctatis; abdo- 

 mine apicem versus dilatato, crebre subtiliter punctato. 

 Long. corp. 2| lin. 



Antennas moderately long, not thickened towards the 

 extremity, reddish at the base, the other joints infuscate ; 

 3rd joint long, rather longer than 2nd, 4 — 10 each shorter 

 than its predecessor, 10th longer than broad, 11th much 

 acuminate. Palpi reddish. Head black, broader than 

 the thorax or elytra, shining, rather coarsely but not 

 closely punctured, the punctures becoming less numerous 

 towards its middle. Thorax pitchy or dark reddish, rather 

 longer than broad, a little narrowed behind, all the angles 



