1968] Akre and Torgerson — Staphylinid Beetle \ 213 
Figure 1. Diploeciton nevermanni in its unique grooming position on a 
worker of its host, N. pilosus. Drawing from a photograph. 
side of the body to brace against the substrate. The three legs on 
the other side of the body then straddle the ant. The mesothoracic 
leg on the bottom curls under and around the thorax of the ant. This 
places the sternum of the beetle’s thorax against the side of the 
thorax of the ant as though riding “sidesaddle”. In this position 
the beetle rubs the ant with its legs. The mesothoracic lower leg 
rubs the bottom of the thorax and the upper legs rub on the dorsal 
area of the ant; the prothoraeic leg usually rubs the head of the 
ant, the mesothoracic leg rubs on the thorax and gaster, while the 
metathoracic leg is used sparingly to rub the gaster of the ant. The 
rubbing strokes are rather slow and alternate between stroking the 
body of the ant and the staphylinid’s own body. The front leg is 
rubbed on the head and thorax, both middle legs are rubbed on the 
elytra and the globular portion of the myrmecoid abdomen, while 
the metathoracic leg was rubbed only rarely on the abdomen. This 
intimate rubbing has been suggested as a means of acquiring colony 
