BEETLE GENUS ONTHOPHAGUS — HOWDEN, CARTWRIGHT 85 



diameter, the tuberculate elytral intervals (third, fourth, and fifth 

 intervals with two irregular rows), the alutaceous upper surface of 

 pronotum and elytra, and by the male majors with cephalic carinae 

 lacking and forelegs lengthened, the tibia usually having an apical 

 pencil of hairs. 



The species occurs from southern Ontario south to central Florida 

 and westward to central Texas. Adults are most commonly col- 

 lected in areas having a clay-type soil, but also occur in fairly sandy 

 localities. Adult food habits are varied. Specimens have been taken 

 at many types of annual dung, horse, cow, dog, deer, and human 

 being the most common, at carrion, both bird and mammal, and at 

 rotting fungi and watermelon rind. Specimens can be taken in large 

 numbers by using sunken cans baited with a mixture of fermenting 

 malt and propionic acid. 



It is not known how many types of animal dung may be used 

 for larval food, but adults brought into the laboratory and placed 

 in large clay-filled flower pots readily utilized cow dung in construction 

 of the cells for their larvae. The}'' made numerous windmg burrows, 

 2 to 3 inches deep, beneath and at the margin of a pile of dung, each 

 burrow terminating in a cell averaging 6 mm. wide by 10 mm. 

 long. When the dung wad was completed, a small cavity was left 

 in the upper end of the dung and in this a single elongate egg was 

 glued by one end so that it was upright in the cavity. Larval 

 development was typically rapid, developmental time from egg to 

 adult having a duration of approximately 3 weeks. Adults were 

 placed in flower pots on June 22; pupae and teneral adults of the Fi 

 generation were found when the pot was excavated on July 17. The 

 developmental time for each stage was not determined. The dis- 

 cussion of the habits of 0. pennsylvanicus by Lindquist (1933) may 

 refer to pennsylvanicus or to 0. oklahomensis Bro^vn. 



Onthophagus tuberculifrons Harold 



Plate 6, Figures 52 and 53 



Onthophagus tuberculifrons Sturm, 1843, p. 108 (nomen nudum). — Gemminger 

 and Harold, 1869, p. 1038 (nomen nudum).— Harold, 1871, p. 115.— Horn 

 1875, p. 140.— Austin, 1880, p. 25.— Henshaw, 1885, p. 87.— Blatchley, 

 1910, p. 919.— Schaeffer, 1914, p. 298.— Leng, 1920, p. 249.— Boucomont 

 and Gillet, 1927, p. 208.— Boucomont, 1932, p. 319. 



Onthophagus tuberculatus (Zimmermann in litt.) Gemminger and Harold, 1869, 

 p. 1038 (nomen nudum). — Harold, 1871, p. 115. 



Male majors. — Length 4.6 to 5.5 mm., width 2.8 to 3.1 mm. 

 Black with brown spotted elytra, at least with spots at humeri and 

 apices; head and pronotum dully shining, sometimes with cupreous 

 cast, elytra opaque. Head with clypeus widely rounded, slightly. 



