no. 13 staph ylinidae — black welder 89 



The Value of Existing Classifications and Some Suggestions 

 Concerning Them 



As far as the present study is concerned, no major changes are 

 indicated in the existing classification of the higher categories of the 

 family. However, there will be numerous changes in position or in 

 the relative degree of isolation of certain groups. 



It has been very frequently noted that the conventional statement 

 of a character used in a classification may have no precise morpho- 

 logical meaning except as indicating that some peculiarity exists. Some 

 of these characters are discussed below. 



The present subfamily classification, as well as that of all the smaller 

 categories, is to a large extent based on " key " characters. That is, 

 there has generally been in this family no distinction between classi- 

 fication and identification. This has led necessarily to a system based 

 on obvious and readily observable characters, rather than on the ones 

 particularly suited to show the fundamental relationships. Each of 

 these characters has been discussed by itself in the comparative section. 



The diflferences between existing classifications are chiefly those 

 of the differences of opinion regarding the isolation of each group, 

 and the components of it, and are to a large extent due to the use 

 of an insufficient number of categories. Although the family un- 

 doubtedly contains several large and homogeneous groups, there are 

 also a number of very isolated and extreme forms which have no very 

 close relatives and are yet obviously members of the family. Some 

 authors tend to unite these with their nearest neighbors, whereas others 

 attempt to show the great divergence by separating them as distinct 

 tribes or subfamilies. The purpose of classification is to show not 

 only the relationships between animals but also the degree of the 

 difference between them. 



In European catalogues the genus Micropcplus has sometimes been 

 united with the subfamily Omaliinae. More frequently, however, 

 if is given subfamily rank. It seldom shows the typical structure of 

 the family but has several modifications not found elsewhere. It ap- 

 pears to be more isolated from all the other Staphylinids than the ex- 

 tremes of that family are from each other. It is therefore thought 

 probable that it will have to be removed as a separate family. This 

 has already been done by some writers. 



In the Leng Catalogue (1920) Proteimis, Leptochirus, Eumalus, 

 Trigoniiriis, Phloeocharis, and Pseudopsis are united in the subfamily 

 Piestinae, and thereby are separated from the Oxytelinae. In the 

 catalogue of Eichelbaum (1909) these are all included in the Oxyteli- 



