Casey — Observations on the Staphylinidae. 161 



verna and others, where there is a broad convex impunctate 

 median line defined by shallow and confusedly punctate 

 impressions, should indicate some differences of generic 

 weight, or that such an extreme abbreviation of the meso- 

 stemal carina as that of castansipennis, or widely separated 

 middle coxae as in imbHcaia^ or very narrowly separated 

 coxae as in defecta^ might betoken other differences of at least 

 subgeneric value, but such does not seem to be the case and 



1 can find no rational means of dividing the genus, even 

 subgenerically. The most conspicuous character in a taxo- 

 nomic arrangement of the species is the sculpture of the 

 pronotum, but such forms as the European laevigata Gyll., if 

 my representative is correctly identified, are intermediate in 

 this respect between those species with even punctuation and 

 those having two impressed punctured series, the case being 

 somewhat similar to that of Sphenophorus^ of the Rhyncho- 

 phora. The generic characters of Baryodma have been 

 sufficiently stated in the table and need not be further con- 

 sidered at present. The twenty-six species before me may be 

 separated as follows : — 



Punctures of the pronotum evenly distributed throughout the disk, gener- 

 ally fine 2 



Punctures of the pronotum more sparsely and unevenly distributed t jward 

 the sides and aggregated into two shallow longitudinal impressions at 

 the middle, particularly evident toward base, the space between the 

 series always devoid of punctures 13 



2 — Mesosternal carina very much abbreviated, not extending posteriorly 



as far as the middle of the axial length of the mesosternum and scarcely 

 more than reaching the anterior line of the middle acetabula ; mesoster- 

 nal process very narrow toward tip 3 



Mesosternal carina abbreviated but only slightly so, the process always 

 narrow toward tip 4 



Mesosternal carina entire and attaining the tip of the process, the latter very 

 variable in width but always at least somewhat wider than in the pre- 

 ceding groups 10 



3 — Head and prothorax small, the latter narrower than the basal part of 



the elytra. Body moderately stout and convex, shining, black, the 

 elytra and legs very dark castaneous in color; antennae blackish, 

 gradually slightly paler toward base ; head small, three-fif ihs as wide 

 as the prothorax, somewhat wider than long, minutely, sparsely punc- 

 tate, the eyes moderately large, slightly prominent; antenna-^ distinctly 

 longer than the head and prothorax, gradually and moderately Incras- 



