With over 55,000 species described worldwide and over 1,000 of these recorded in Britain and Ireland, the Staphylinidae represent one of the most species rich families in the animal kingdom. This book is the first of a series of identification keys incorporating recent advances in the taxonomy of Staphylinidae into simple, easy-to-use keys. Illustrated keys are provided for the identification of the subfamilies of British Staphylinidae, with three subfamilies, Scaphidiinae, Piestinae and Oxytelinae, which form the Oxyteline group, being covered in full in this volume.