412 Mr. D. Sluirp'ij Contributions to the 



another appears to me likely to be a point of great diffi- 

 culty, owing to the extreme general resemblance that 

 exists between numerous species. The genus Holosus of 

 Motschoulsky and Kraatz ap])ears to be excessively closely 

 allied to Lispinus, and scarcely justifies the adoption for 

 it of a distinct generic name in the present state of our 

 knowledge of the exotic Staphylinidce. The South 

 American species of Lispinus ajipear to me to belong to 

 two groups, easily distinguished from one another by the 

 form of the head ; in L. strio/a and its allies the antennal 

 tubercles are quite obsolete, and the front of the head is 

 very evenly and distinctly margined, and its upper surface 

 convex, -while in the other gx-oup the antennal tubercles 

 are distinct, and the front of the head is scarcely or not at 

 all margined. L. simplex and L. Icstus, here described, 

 belong to this latter group, while all the other species 

 I here describe belong to the first-mentioned group, the 

 L. depressus making, however, a considerable approach 

 to the second group. 



1. Lispinus striola, Er. 

 Para ; a series of specimens. 



This is, apparently, one of the species of Staphylinidce 

 having a great geographical range in the warm parts of the 

 New World. 



2. Lispinus catena, n. sp. Elongatus, angustulus, 

 parallelus, nigro-piceus, nitidus; antennis, pedibus, abdomi- 

 nisque apice rufis ; thorace basin versus leniter angustato, 

 lateribus hand sinuatis, basi utrinque impressione angusta ; 

 capite thoraceque sat crebre et subtiliter punctatis; elytris 

 parcius punctatis, disco striola minus discreta e punctis 

 elongatis formata notatis. Long. corp. fere 2\ lin. 



Antennae reddish; joints 7 — 10 transverse, 3rd slightly 

 longer than 2nd. Head rather finely and moderately 

 closely punctiu-ed, on the disc Avith two larger distant 

 punctures. Thorax not quite so long as broad ; the sides 

 only a little narrowed towards the base, on each side near 

 the hind angles with a naiTOw, elongate impression, reach- 

 ing quite half-way to the front; on the middle is an ex- 

 cessively fine channel; the surface is rather finely and 

 moderately closely ])iuictured. Elytra a little longer than 

 the thorax, only a little less shining, sparingly but not 

 altogether finely punctured, the punctures being rather 



