187G.] 71 



Very closely allied to A. distans, but rather smaller and shorter, and with the 

 thorax less transverse ; the strife of the elytra are a good deal deeper, and their 

 punctures are nearer to one another. Besides these slighter characters, the two species 

 present some more important distinctions. The legs in A. suspectus are shorter, and 

 llie long spur of the hind tibial reaches as far as the apex of the 2nd tarsal joint ; 

 the shoulders of the elytra are not acute, and the middle coxa) are not so widely 

 separated. 



An individual of this species was sent me some years ago by Mr. 

 Edwards of San Francisco, with the No. 1709 attached. 



Obs. — This species and the preceding, though allied to the genera 

 Saprosites, JEiiparia, and Afcenius, will not at present satisfactorily 

 accord with any of them. I think, however, for the present, they may 

 be best placed in Saprosites, which is rather vaguely characterized by 

 Eedtenbacher. The Oxyomus exscidptiis of White is from his descrip- 

 tion probably a species allied to these two ; it is not applicable to a 

 Proctoplianes, to which genus it is referred in Harold's Catalogue ; a 

 species of which genus occurs, however, in New Zealand. I have a 

 third species allied to A. distans and A. suspectus, but much smaller and 

 more deeply striated, which I suspect to be White's species ; it is 

 similar in size and form to our Apliodius ccesus (Psanwioliics) , but is a 

 little broader, and has the angles of the elytra very acute. According 

 to Captain Broun it is found in the wood of Sophoru tetraptera.*- 



Aphodius Beotjni, n. sp. 



Nigricans, convexus, minus elongatus, suhopacus ; anfennis pedi- 

 })usque dilutiorihus ; thorace transversa, angulis posterioribus fire nuUis, 

 crehre irregularitcr punctata ; elytris striatis, striis apice profundiorihus, 

 7iunus distincte pmjictatis. Long. corp. 3i mm. 



Head impunctate except on the extreme vertex, quite without elevations ; clypeus 

 cmarginate. Thorax strongly tranverse, rather wider than the elytra, the front angles 

 rounded and a little produced, the hind angles extremely indistinct and obtuse ; the 

 surface bears numerous rather deep, but not very coarse, punctures, which ai"e iiTeg- 

 ularly distributed, and nearly wanting about the front ; the sm'fiice is rather dull. 

 The elytra are rather short, and bear each nine somewhat deep, but rather fine, striaj ; 

 they are deepest on the deflexed portion : the punctures these strise bear are only 

 indistinct ; the surface is dull, but the insterstices are not punctured. The legs are 

 short, the tibiae stout, the long spur on the hind ones reaching nearly to the apex of 

 the 2nd joint. The mesosteruum is densely and finely rugose so as to be very dull ; 

 the space between the middle legs is carinatc. 



* Since the above was in print, I have received from Mr. Pascoe a specimen of what appears 

 to me to be a third species of this group ; it is very closely allied to ^. suspectus, b\it is considerably 

 larger, the punctures of the thorax are rather more numerous, and the stria) of the elytra, as 

 also their punctures, are somewhat finer, so that the interstices are broader ; the following diag- 

 nosis will charaacterize it : — 



Aphodius Pascoei, n. sp. 



Angustulus, paralUluH, nigrica.ns, nitidus ; prothorace transvcrsim qv.adrato, ebjtrorv.m laii- 

 tii.diiie,j'oriUtr punctato .■ elj/lrU slrialo-pinictaHe, interMtiis lalu, kv.m'-.ris prominidls, vixacutis. 



Long. Corp. 5i mm. v. a. 



