1900.] C'dtalnfiiir of the Coleoptem of South Africa. 199 



Onthophagus ciiKTus, 11. spec. 



Plate XXXY., ii^. 22. 



Bronze, shining, very pubescent, sometimes black, gcnoe rounded, 

 clypcus sub-semicircular, a little prolonged and slightly blunted at 

 tip, frontal carina distinct, the clypeus is transversely plicate, and 

 the vertex punctulato ; prothorax not very convex, abruptly trun- 

 cate at tip, and there excavated on each side, the ridge of the 

 excavation has on each side a short, shining tubercle, and in the 

 centre are two projecting tubercles in the male, and a transverse 

 lamina in the female, the upper part is grooved from the middle to 

 the base, w^hich is rounded, and the whole surface, which is densely 

 pubescent, is covered wuth very deep, irregular, nearly confluent 

 punctures ; elytra ampliato-ovate, narrowly striate with the intervals 

 slightly raised in the dorsal part, and filled with deep, irregular 

 punctures similar to those on the prothorax but a little more 

 rugose and bearing long, decumbent greyish hairs ; pygidium 

 pubescent, covered with closely set punctures ; metasternum punc- 

 tulate in the centre, and having a very distinct longitudinal median 

 line. 



Male : Cephalic horn upright or very shghtly curved, sub- 

 cylindrical and sharp at tip : a little flattened at base, and as high 

 as the projecting tuberculated part of the prothorax; inner part of 

 anterior tibiae spinose at tip, apical spur long, nearly straight. 



Female : Vertex with a high transverse laminate ridge extending 

 from eye to eye. 



I have seen one small development of the female of this species 

 in which the prothorax is normally sloping, and has no trace of 

 ridge or excavation ; this example, however, is black, and might 

 prove to belong to another species ; it comes from Ovampoland. 



Length 7-7J mm. ; width 4 mm. 



Hab. Natal (Durban, Umkomas Eiver), Ovampoland (Humbe). 



Onthophagus scabeosus, Fahr., 



Insect. Caffrar., ii., p. 295. 



0. pedestris, Fahr., loc. cit., p. 296. 



This species might be taken for the small development of 

 Onthophagus crctus, and the shape of the cephalic horn and of the 

 anterior part of the prothorax is nearly similar, but the head and 

 prothorax are dull fuscous bronze, the cephalic horn and the trans- 

 verse carina of the S and of the ? respectively are smaller, the 



