336 



FAMILY XI. STAPH YLINID/E. 



j. Middle coxae very widely separated ; front of head trun- 

 cate just before the eyes; last joint of labial palpi very 

 large, lunate. Subfamily VIII. Oxyporin^e, p. 459. 

 jj. Middle coxae contiguous or nearly so ; front more or less 

 prolonged before the eyes; labial palpi with last joint 

 normal. Subfamily IX. Oxyteltn^, p. 461. 



ee. Front coxae globose, not prominent; hind coxae transverse; form 

 very elongate, slender, parallel. 



Subfamily X. Piestin^e, p. 483. 

 a a. Antennae 9-jointed with abrupt club, received in cavities on under side 

 of thorax ; hind coxae small, rounded and widely separated. 



Subfamily XI. Micropeplin^e, p. 484. 



Subfamily I. ALEOCHARINAE.* 



Antennae inserted between the eyes and behind their front mar- 

 gin, 11- jointed (10- jointed in the Tribe Oligotini) ; elytra either 

 covering entirely the first two dorsal plates of the abdomen or leav- 

 ing the apical half of the second plate uncovered; abdomen mar- 

 gined at the sides, the second ventral plate rudimentary ; front coxae 

 conical, prominent, usually shorter than the front thighs; hind 

 coxae contiguous, with broad, flat external laminas and with elevated 

 internal laminae, the latter narrowed behind or subparallel; tarsi 

 variable, 3-, 4- or 5-jointed. 



The larvae are but little known, greatly resembling in general 

 those of the Tachyporime. The species of Aleocharinse are among 

 the smallest of the family, are very numerous and their life habits 

 are extremely diversified. They occur under stones, on dead ani- 

 mals, in excrement, in mushrooms and toadstools, in decaying veg- 

 etable matter, under the bark of various trees, under moss, in old 

 tree trunks and at running sap. Some live on the shores of running 

 or stagnant water, some exclusively on the seashore or on the shores 

 of brackish water, while others live in shore sand, in caves, a few in 

 flowers and a great number in the nests of ants and termites. A 

 few are also found in the nests of vertebrate animals, like wood- 

 rats, squirrels, swallows, etc. No member of the subfamily is known 

 to have any economic importance except as a scavenger. 



The best works of reference on the American AleocharinaB are : 



Erichson. — Kasfer cler Mark Brandenburg, Berlin, 1837. 



Genera et species Staphylinorum, Berlin, 1840. 



Ganglhauer. — Die Kasfer von Mitteleuropa, II. Wien, 1895. 



Casey. — 1 1 Observations on the Staphylinid Groups Aleocharina?, 

 and Xantholinini, chiefly of America," in Trans. Acad. Sci. 

 St. Louis, XVI, 1906, 125-434. 



*The outline and keys to tribes and genera of this subfamily were furnished by Dr. A. Fenyes of Pasadena 

 California, through whose hinds all the species have passed. The other matter, including keys to species and 

 descriptions, was prepared by the writer. — W. S. B. 



