SCARAB BEETLES — CARTWRIGHT 527 



California, Utah, Ai*izona, and New Mexico. Acdeagus as in figure 

 5/. West of the Rocky Mountains, specimens of obsoletus LeConte 

 show very Httle variation. In soutlieastern iVrizona, New Mexico, 

 parts of Colorado, and western Texas in the Big Bend jirea, however, 

 specimens are very frequently intermediate in chai-acter between 

 typical obsoleius and gibbosu.s-. Variations in the depth and form of 

 the punctures, the length and width of the posterior tibiae and tarsal 

 segments, and the convexity of the side margins of the pronotum are 

 most noticeable. The degree of variation in each chai-acter diffei's in 

 individual specimens to such an extent it is often quite impossible to 

 decide whicli name should be apj)lied. Because the characters used 

 to separate the two forms tend here to merge or become intermediate 

 in varying degree, I believe obsoletus should be considered a subspecies 

 of (jibbosus. LeConte (1856) called it a variety of gibbosus. Ijocal- 

 ities in which the more or less intermediate forms have been found 

 are shown on the map (hg. 1). There are three typical specimens of 

 obsoletus in the Casey collection bearing the locality label of Lhicoln, 

 Nebr., but I believe these are mislabeled. Casey had set them aside 

 without determination. Tv\'0 specimens labeled "Neb." were found 

 in the Bolter collection, Illinois Natural History Surve3^ 



Bothynus morio LeConte 



Bothy mis morio LeConte, 1847, p. 87. 



Ligyrus morio LeConte, 1856, p. 20. 



Ligyrus longulus Case}', 1915, p. 193 (new synonj^ny). 



Ligynis virginicus Casey, 1915, p. 193 (new synonymy). 



Ligyrus remotus Case}', 1915, p. 194 (new synonymy). 



Length 12 to 16 mm., width 7 to 9.5 mm. Oblong, convex, shinhig, 

 reddish brown to blackish brown. Clypeus apically bidentate, the 

 teeth sharp and frequently almost spinifornx, separated by about 

 their basal width or slightly more suiface slightly i-oughened ante- 

 riorly, smooth posteriorly in front of the thin, sharp, transverse, 

 frontal carina, the carina slightlv sinuate at middle and not reaching 

 lateral margin. Head punctate-rugose behind carina, smooth basally. 

 Pronotum as in (jibbosus except that the anterior pit or depj-ession is 

 usually smaller and not so deep, and the punctures are usually much 

 finer and not as deep. The elytra are slighth^ longer and the sides 

 more nearl}^ parallel than in gibbosus, with the coarse punctures hner 

 and rarely noticeably annular. Pygidium with fuier punctures 

 throughout, fewer apically, very close to scaluiculatc laterally in the 

 corners, and in the male at extreme base. Under surface hairy as 

 in gibbosus, the prosternal process similarly completely covered with 

 stiff hairs. Antei-ior tibia smooth and shnung outside the loiigitudinal 



