BRACHELYTRA. 79 



Staphylinidte) have the mandibles not very prominent ; 

 the labial palpi filiform (with two exceptions) ; and all 

 their tarsi five-jointed. They present a certain resem- 

 blance to the Philonthi, in the next family, but have the 

 sides of the thorax simple (with no marginal line), and 

 more rounded; and their head is broader at the base. 

 Their antennae are inserted at the front of the side mar- 

 gin of the head, and their prothoracic spiracles conspi- 

 cuous, as in the former families. 



Euryporus and Astrapaeus have the third joint of the 

 labial palpi hatchet- shaped (the enlargement being more 

 evident in the male) ; and the anterior tarsi are dilated 

 in the latter, and simple in the former, in both sexes. 

 They are both very rare, Astrap&us being, indeed, du- 

 bious as British, and Euryporus (in which the head is 

 small) occasionally occurring in moss. 



Acylophorus, taken under cut reeds, etc., at Merton, 

 by Dr. Power, is conspicuous as well from its rarity as 

 the band of testaceous colour near the apex of its abdo- 

 men, the elongate basal joint of its antennae, and its 

 cylindrical anterior tarsi, of which the apical joint is as 

 long as the four preceeding, and armed with strong 

 claws; the posterior tarsi having the basal joint the 

 longest, and the apical with small claws. 



The species of Heterothops closely resemble the smaller 

 Quedii, from which they may be known by the subulate 

 apical joint of their palpi. They are found at the bot- 

 toms of haystacks, under seaweed, etc. 



Quedius comprises several species, of varied habits and 

 sizes, and is divided into two sections ; the first having 

 the part of the prosternum behind the anterior coxae 

 horny, and the second having the same part membra- 

 neous. The number of punctures in the dorsal rows 



