1900. j Cat(i/(i(/U(' of the Colcoplcni of South Africo. 9!) 



Ioniser tliiiii ihe two following, external and internal jcjints of the 

 clava sli','litly convex ; head hroadly enuirginate in front with the 

 angles of the emargination more or less dentiform, and with 

 the angles of the genae, which are parallel, also aculeate; in some 

 species, however, the head is sub-hexagonal ; eyes moderately large 

 hut only a small, oblong part shows on the upper side; prothorax 

 very convex, attenuate laterally in the anterior part with the anterior 

 angles acute, nearly straight from there to the base, declivous in 

 front, and having a more or less distinct median longitudinal groove 

 beginm'ng at middle and reaching the base ; elytra fitting against the 

 prothonix, sub-parallel, or a little ampliate behind the humeral 

 angles, and gradually attenuate behind, they are narrowly striate 

 and covered with rows of small tufts of rigid hairs, no epipleura ; 

 pygidium narrowly triangular ; abdomen very much compressed and 

 deep ; metasternum very broad in the centre, njarginate, and with a 

 hi'oad and deep impression occupying neai"ly two-thirds of the median 

 part in both sexes ; prosternum with a sharp longitudinal carina 

 aculeate at tip under the femora ; mesosternum fairly broad for this 

 group ; intermediate cotyloid cavities nearly straight ; anterior legs 

 somewhat short, femora moderately thick, tibia3 short, and provided 

 with three external, sharp, slender teeth, and a very long inner 

 spur; anterior tarsi moderately long; intermediate and posterior 

 legs very long, trochanters always greatly developed, posterior coxae 

 robust, tibiae incurved and sometimes sinuate, bi-carinate outwardly 

 and uni-carinate inwardly, intermediate ones with two, posterior 

 ones with one long spur ; intermediate and posterior tarsi very long, 

 narrow, compressed, claws long, slender. 



The species of Sisyphiia have a very peculiar facies owing to the 

 body being compressed laterally, and also to the length and curved 

 shape of the intermediate and posterior legs. Their habits are very 

 much like those of Scarahaiis; and they make also balls of dung, 

 but they seem to prefer horse- to cow-dung for their purpose. But 

 instead of burying the ball in order to work it underground 

 into the proper condition necessary for the young, one species, 

 -S'. appcndiculatiis, after it has elaborated it into the orthodox shape, 

 affixes it to a blade of grass. 



I am indebted for that information and a figure of the sub- 

 pyriform ball, and of the larva to G. A. K. Marshall, Esq. 



In several species the trochanters of the posterior pairs are 

 produced into long spines in the males, and the intermediate and 

 posterior tibicC have inner spines ; these characters are also found in 

 the females of these same species, but always in a rudimentary 

 manner, and these appendages vary as much in size and length as the 



