INSECTS OF CHINA. 



Order. COLEOPTERA. Linnaus. 



COPRIS MIDAS. 



Plate 1. fig. 1. 



Tribe. Lamellicornes, Latreille. (Genus, Scarabaeus, Linnceus.) 

 Family. Scarab«id;e, Mac Leay. 

 Genus. Copris, Geoffroy. (Scarabaeus p. Donovan.) 



Cm. Sp. C. thorace retuso tricorni, cornu intermedio lato emarginato, capitis clypeo 3-sinuato 

 denteque utrinque laterali valido recurvo arniato. Long. Corp. 1 J unc. 

 C. with the thorax bkmt in front and armed with three horns, the middle one broad 

 and notched at the tip, the shield of the head with three sinuations, and armed 

 • on each side with a thick horn. Length \\ inch. 



Syn. Scarabaeus Midas, Fabricius Ent. Syst. L p. 45. Syst. Eleuth. I. p. 36. Oliv. 



Ent. L t. 30./. 183. 



The original description of Fabricius was taken from a specimen in the Banksian 

 cabinet, the locality of America being assigned to it ; some mistake must, however, have 

 occurred in this respect, as it is now well known that East India is the true country of 

 this curious species, which has received its specific name, Midas, from the size of the 

 ear-like pair of horns at the sides of the head. The accompanying figure was taken 

 from a specimen in the collection of Drury, which was said to have been received from 

 China. Some interesting observations, on the habits of this species, have been published 

 by Col. Sykes in the first volume of the Transactions of the Entomological Society of 

 London. 



