370 



FAMILY XI. STAPHYLINIDiE. 



(I. Front of head without punctures. 



e. Margin of thorax distinctly flattened ; color reddish-brown. 



705. sPELxErs. 



ee. Margin of thorax not flattened; color wholly or in great part 

 black or piceous. 

 f. Head broadly oval. 

 g. Second joint of antenna? shorter than third ; length 7- 

 11 mm. 706. fulgidus. 



gg. Second joint as long as third; length 5-6 mm. 



707. SUBLIMBATUS. 



ff. Head elongate, as long as thorax. 708. peregrines. 



dd. Front of head with two punctures ; elytra very irregularly punc- 

 tured. 709. CAPUCINUS. 

 cc. Hind tibise without spinules ; form depressed ; elytra without punc- 

 tures. 710. LEVIGATES. 



b~b. Labrum entire, either curved or truncate. 



It. Labrum broadly curved; eyes moderate in size; length 7-12 mm. 



711. MOLOCHINES. 



lili. Labrum truncate; eyes verj^ large, prominent; length 5-6 mm. 



712. H YPERB R £ 1" S . 



a a. Tarsi above glabrous; thorax with two discal punctures each side. 



Form slender; thorax with sides nearly parallel. 713. ferox. 



it. Form robust; thorax narrowed in front. 714. vernix. 



705 (2099). Quedius spel^eus Horn, Trans. Amer. Ent. Soc, 1871. 332. 



Elongate, rather slender. Uniform pale red- 

 dish or chestnut brown, the elytra sometimes 

 a little darker. Head oval, longer than wide : 

 eyes small, slightly oblique. Antenna? reach- 

 ing base of thorax, the second joint less than 

 one-half the length of third. Thorax broader 

 than long, slightly narrowed in front, sides 

 feebly, base broadly curved ; disk highly pol- 

 ished, with small punctures along the mar- 

 gins and base, in addition to the dorsal rows. 

 Elytra narrower than thorax, together as 

 wide as long ; closely and rather coarsely and 

 roughly punctate, sparsely pubescent. Ab- 

 domen narrower than elytra, parallel. Length 



Fig. 157. (Original.) 10 -1 4 mm. (Fig. 157.) 



Monroe, Lawrence and Crawford counties; freqnent locally in 

 caves. April 15-November 6. Occurs in decaying organic matter, 

 usually the excrement of raccoons and other cave visiting verte- 

 brates, or beneath stones in the vicinity thereof. Although Cope 

 and Packard both refer to this as a "twilight species," all speci- 

 mens taken were in total darkness, those in Wyandotte Cave being 

 1,000 feet from the mouth. As the temperature of the caves is very 

 much the same the year round the beetle probably breeds at all 

 seasons, as the larva? Avere alwavs found with the adults. 



