BEETLE GENUS ONTHOPHAGUS — ^HOWDEN, CARTWRIGHT 121 



and third striae arranged in a very irregular double row. Two small 

 reddish-brown spots near the elytral apices; an indistinct brownish 

 spot laterally near the middle may be present on each elytron. In 

 some specimens the two apical spots may almost fuse. Pygidium sim- 

 ilar to that of hecate, but ^vith setae generally shorter. Ventral sur- 

 faces and legs similar to those of hecate, except for coarse punctures 

 of the thorax and abdomen which are more scattered and bear 

 shorter setae than is usual in hecate. 



Male minors. — Length 6.2 to 7.8, width 3.8 to 4.3 mm. Similar 

 to male majors in the pronotal tubercles, length of setae, characters 

 of el^^tra, and position of the brown spots. Variation is most noticeable 

 in the rounded clypeus which is only slightly more reflexed anteriorl}'- 

 than laterally; often the rugose punctures extend entirely across the 

 clypeus with the clypeal carina pronounced. Area between the 

 clypeal carina and the frontal carina similar to that in male major; 

 frontal carina medially weak but pronounced laterally, forming a 

 small denticle at each side. Pronotal protuberance usually merely 

 a broad rounded hump with its anterior lateral edges smooth and 

 shiny. The only other noticeable difference is in the shortened 

 forelegs, the apical end of the femur not extending to the lateral 

 thoracic margin; tibia still slender, but only a little longer than that 

 of the female; tibial spur rather thick and abruptly incurved near 

 its end. 



Females. — Length 7 to 8.2 mm., width 4.2 to 5 mm. Differing 

 from male majors in the following respects: Margin of clypeus evenly 

 rounded, sHghtly reflexed upward, surface coarsely rugosely punctate, 

 many of the punctures bearing short setae; clypeal carina pronounced, 

 slightly higher medially, area between the clypeal carina and frontal 

 carina similar to that described for male; frontal carina somewhat 

 higher than clypeal carina, longer, only sHghtly higher medially, and 

 lacking lateral denticles noted in the male minors ; gena not prominent, 

 its margin ahnost continuous with that of the clypeus. Pronotal 

 tubercles of females separated by a distance greater than their length, 

 slightly larger than the tubercles in the males and appearing slightly 

 denser; setae arising at the base of the tubercles slightly more evident 

 than in male majors but still very short, particularly on the disc; 

 pronotal protuberance indicated by a vague anterior swelling delimited 

 on each side by a small, rounded shiny hump, the humps separated 

 by a distance approximately equal to the length of the transverse 

 carina of the head. 



Pronotum less convex than in the male major, but with outline and 

 margin similar. Elytra in female very similar to those in male, but 

 vnih tubercles slightly larger, the apical brown spots somewhat 

 smaller and the median, lateral, brown spots often absent. Pygidium 



