56 STAPHYLINID^. 



HETEROTHOPS, Stephens. 

 H. praevia, Er., Kiif. Mark. Bandeburg, i. 480, var. nigra, 

 Kraatz, Bei'l. Ent. Zeit., 1868, 352. Apparently we possess two forms 

 of H. 'prcevia. Thorns., nee Er., one a lighter coloured form of variable 

 colour, but in part at least more or less pitchy or reddish-brown, and a 

 deep black shining form which has hitherto been found very rarely and 

 has passed under the name of //. quadiHpunctula, Gr. ; the latter 

 insect does not appear to occur in Britain ; the var. nigra, however, has 

 occurred very abundantly in moles' nests in many parts of the country 

 (v. Ganglbauer, Kaf. von Mitteleurop, ii. 387). Mr, Donisthorpe has 

 taken specimens in nests of Formica rnfa, and Lasius fuliginosus, at 

 Weybridge and Wellington College, which appear to be a little larger 

 than nigra, and with the punctuation more alutaceous, and conse- 

 quently less shining {v. Trans. Ent. Soc. Lond. 1909, p. 407). 



QUEDIUS, Leach. 



To the table of characters for the sub-genera (Brit. Col. ii. 228) the 

 following may be added : 



Section II. (Sub.-gen. Quedius, i.sp.). Elytra not very closely 

 punctured. 



Section III. (Sub,-gen, Microsaurus, Steph.). Elytra very closely 

 punctured. 



Section IV. (Sub.-gen. Sauridus, Muls. et Rey.). Scutellum smooth 

 in all the species. 



Section V. (Sub.-gen. Bajjhirus, Steph.). Scutellum punctured and 

 pubescent. 



The insect introduced by Mr. E. A. Newbery (Ent. Mo. Mag. xli. 

 (2 Ser. xvi.), 1905, 197) SiS Quedius rrtri«&i7/s, Heer (on a single specimen 

 taken by Mr. Kidson Taylor in Sherwood Forest, in rotten fungus, in 

 company with Q. xanthojms, Er.) must apparently be referred to 

 Q.fageti, Thoms., which, in the last European Catalogue, is regarded 

 as a synonym of Q. maurus. Sahib. Q. niaurus appears to be a good 

 and distinct species. The punctures at the sides of the thorax, as 

 Dr. Joy pointed out, cannot be relied on in this group as specific 

 characters. {Cf. Newbery, Ent. Mo. Mag. 1910, 230.) Mr. Dollman 

 records Q. inaurus from Highbeach, Epping. 



Q. nigrocoeruleus, Muls. et Rey. ; Brevipennes, Staphyliniens, 

 p. 500. Closely allied to Q. mesomelinus, Marsh, of the size of the 

 largest examples of this species, proportionately a little broader, and of 

 a deeper colour throughout ; antennae slightly stouter ; head larger 

 and more distinctly punctured, with two punctures (instead of one) 

 toward the postero-interior border of the eyes ; thorax with from two 

 to fovir punctures in an arched series upon the sides of the disc, with 

 the lateral pore a little less distant from the margin ; elytra shorter in 

 proportion to the thorax, more densely punctured, usually with a blue 



