94 
BRITISH BEETLES. 
bears a closer relation to the Nitidulid© than to the 
Staphylinidoe. These families, the members of which 
(except perhaps in the Aleocha/rinse) preserve a certain 
family likeness amongst themselves, are chiefly sepa- 
rated by the place of insertion of their antennae, by the 
shape of the coxae, and by the hidden or conspicuous 
position of their first (or prothoracic) pair of stigmata 
or spiracles, which are situated on the under side of 
the “ thorax,” behind the coxae of the front pair of 
legs. 
The Aleocharid^e, extensive in numbers and puz- 
zling to determine, have the antennae inserted upon the 
front, close to the inner anterior margin of the eyes, 
and the prothoracic spiracles conspicuous. The apical 
joint of their maxillary palpi is very small and needle- 
pointed, and the labial palpi have mostly 3, though in 
some ( Aleochara ) 4, in others ( Autalia , Qyrophsena, 
&c.) but 2, and in a few ( Myllnsna , &c.) no evident 
joints. 
Their front coxae are conic and prominent, being 
only joined to the prosternum at their upper extremity, 
and the posterior trochanters are somewhat elongate, 
running along the base of the femur. 
Their tarsi vary in the number of joints, having 
either 5 or 4 or 3 joints to all the feet, or 4 to the 
front pair and 5 to the intermediate and hinder; and 
the anterior tarsi are never dilated in the male, which 
may be known from the other sex generally by the 
penultimate segment of the abdomen on the upper 
side having a tubercle or ridge, or an assemblage of 
tubercles, or a thickened or notched hinder margin. 
There is, sometimes, in the male a tubercle on the 
anterior part of the abdomen, and the penultimate 
