258 MAXDIBULATA. COI.EOrTERA. 



Deep shining black : head with a puncture on each side before the eyes^ and 

 two behind : thorax very delicately marked with irregular transverse stria?, 

 with a conspicuous deep impression on each side of the disc, and a very 

 obscure minute one behind: cljjtra opaque, finely pubescent, with the extreme 

 apex slightly pitchy : legs and antennse testaceous, the last dusky towards 

 the tip : palpi pitchy. 



Found on the coast of Sussex. 



Genus DXVII. — Gyrohypnus, K'lrhy. 



Antenna; geniculated, inserted behind the mandibles, rather stout, the basaJ 

 joint largest, elongate, incrassated exteriorly, two following shorter, clavate, 

 of nearly equal length with each other, the remainder globose-turbinate, 

 wath the terminal joint acuminated. Palpi filiform, with the apical joint 

 elongate-ovate : head large, generally oblong-ovate, and slightly convex : 

 forehead sulcate: eyes small, placed on the anterior angle of the lateral 

 margin : thorax oblong, dilated in front, and slightly narrowed behind, the 

 hinder margin roimded : elytra depressed : abdomen elongate, slightly dilated 

 on the sides, attenuated towards the apex : legs stout ; anterior tarsi not 

 dilated in either sex. 



Staphylinus fulgidus of Gravenhorst being given as the type of 

 the genus XanthoHnus of Dahl, and that being merely a catalogue 

 one — but subsequently characterized by the lamented Latreille as 

 having the anterior tarsi not dilated in either sex, a character at 

 \'ariance with the insect above mentioned, which is the type of the 

 genus Othius, — induced me to adopt the old manuscript name of 

 Kirby for this genus, in preference to that of Dahl, under which a 

 host of dissimilar species have been comprehended ; in which parti- 

 cular I find Mannerheim agrees. The present genus may be 

 readily known from the allied ones, with simple anterior tarsi, by 

 having the antenna geniculated, and the palpi with the terminal 

 joint elongate-ovate. The species are usually found beneath stones, 

 moss, under bark, &c., in damp places; and repose in a circle 

 (whence Kirby ""s name, and a further reason for retaining it). 



A. Elytra not, or obscurely, punctate. 

 Sp. 1. pyropterus. Ater, nitidissimus, capita punctato, thorace lavigato, 



utrinque unistriato, elytris sanguineis. (Long. corp. 4§ lin.) 

 St. pyroptenis. Gravenhorst. — Gy. pyropterus. Stepih. Catal. 285. No. 3048. 



Deep glossy black, nearly glabrous : head oblong-ovate, with deep oblong, 

 somewhat confluent, punctures both above and below, produced into two 



