Bythinvs.'] CLAVICORNIA, 89 



America and Australia, so that it is evidently widely distributed ; the 

 shape of the maxillary palpi, which are large and conspicuous, differs very 

 much in individual members of the genus, and the characters presented 

 by the second joint of the antennae in the male are very important. 

 The genus may be divided into two sub-genera as follows : 



I. Antennae with the first joint very long; basal 



joint of palpi, at least in the female, uneven ; 

 eyes of female very small or wanting ; elytra 

 impuuctate Sub-gen. MACII^ERITES, Midler. 



II. AnteiiEe with the first joint moderate; basal 

 joint of palpi without trace of prominences or 



teeth ; elytra in all our species punctured . , Sub-gen. BFTHINUS, i. sp. 



(Sub-Gen. Machaeritcs. Muller.) 



This sub-genus contains only one British species ; fifteen species are 

 enumerated in the last European catalogue, but one or two others have 

 been recently described by M. Fauvel ; they are found in caves, and also 

 in ants' nests, under stones, &c. 



B. glabratus, Rye. Testaceous-red, very shining, thinly-clothcd 

 with long scattered yellowish hairs ; head rather narrow and elongate, 

 eyes black, very small ; antennae rather slender, basal joint almost cylin- 

 drical, and almost as long as joints 3-8 together ; 2nd joint as long as 

 3 and 4 together, with no perceptible peculiarity of structure, 10th and 

 llth forming a club ; thorax cordate -rather straightly narrowed behind, 

 with a large shallow fovea on each side below the middle, reaching the 

 lateral margin and connected across the base of thorax by an impressed 

 curved line ; elytra with the sides gradually widened and rounded from 

 the base to the outer posterior angle, impunctate, or at most with a few 

 obsolete traces of punctures ; abdomen smooth and shining, legs reddish- 

 testaceous, slender and elongate. L. lf-1^ mm. 



Three specimens of this very rare species were taken by Messrs. F. H. and E. A.. 

 Waterhouse at the end of the summer of 1865 in a mossy hollow on the chalk ou 

 Seaford Downs, in company with Trichonyx Maerkelii and a small yellow Ht/rmica, 

 (v. Ent. Monthly Mag. vii., p. 33) ; I captured a single specimen under a stone in 

 company with T. Maerkelii at Sandown, Isle of Wight, on April 12th, 1884 Th< re 

 are two specimens in Dr. Sharp's collection from Eccles, near Dumfries, which are 

 doubtfully referred to this species. 



(Sub-Gen. Bythinus, i. sp.) 



This sub-genus has usually been considered to contain five British 

 species, but a sixth, B. validus, must be added ; the characters of the 

 antennae and maxillary palpi will serve, as a rule, to distinguish them. 



I. Thorax distinctly punctured. 



i. Male with the femora simple and the first joint of the 

 antenna) armed with a small dentiform appendage 

 at apex ; thorax narrower B. r-UNCTICOLLls, Denny. 



