1975] 
Newton — Glypholoma 
57 
whereas in Pterolomini and allies the aedeagus is a large heavily 
sclerotized tubular structure without basal bulb and with a large 
median foramen. The characteristically modified eighth sternite is 
restricted, according to Hammond, to the staphylinid subfamilies 
Proteininae and Omaliinae and the genus Empelus which probably 
belongs near those subfamilies. The two additional characters of 
Glypholoma that specifically place it in the Omaliinae are the presence 
of a pair of ocelli on the vertex of the head, and the presence of 
paired setal patches on abdominal tergites 4 and 5. 
Within the Omaliinae the general habitus, palpal and tarsal struc- 
ture and nearly all other features indicate a close relationship of 
Glypholoma to Anthobiwn and related Holarctic genera such as 
Mathrilaeum, Camioleum, Deliphrum and Olophrum, as originally 
proposed by Scheerpeltz. Hammond (op. cit.) has pointed out that 
this generic group is badly in need of worldwide revision and that 
the generic concepts will probably change when this is done. At the 
present time I can only point out what appear to be three exceptional 
features of Glypholo?na that may be unique in the Omaliinae, based 
on the literature and on examination of the omaliine genera in the 
Museum of Comparative Zoology. These are : 1 ) the pustules on the 
elytra referred to by both original authors; 2) the excavate hind 
coxae, also found in Empelus ; and 3) the Y-shaped sulcus on the 
head capsule. 
The distribution of the last-mentioned character merits special 
attention. To my knowledge Y-shaped sulci have been previously 
reported only in the staphylinid tribe Tachyporini among Staphy- 
linoidea (Blackwelder 1936), but are much more widespread. In 
addition to all genera of that tribe and Glypholoma , I have con- 
firmed them in: Staphylinidae — Trigonurus spp. (Piestinae) and 
Habrocerus magnus (of uncertain position, not a true Habrocerus ) ; 
Silphidae — Nicrophorus spp. (Silphinae) and Pelatines latus and 
Lyrosoma opaca (Agyrtinae) ; Leiodidae — Catopocerus spp. (Cato- 
pocerinae), several genera of Agyrtodini (Catopinae), and an un- 
identified Tasmanian genus of Neopelatopini (Leiodinae). Such sulci 
are well-known features of many members of the related superfamily 
Hydrophiloidea. They have been considered absent from Histeroidea, 
the third group of Staphyliniformia (Crowson 1974), but are found 
in Sphaerites politus (Sphaeritidae) and 'at least some species of the 
histerid genera Bacanius and Idolia. Consideration of the origin and 
functional significance of this structure is beyond the scope of the 
present work. However, this widespread distribution among what 
many would consider primitive members of the three related super- 
