382 Records of the S.A. Museum 



ONTHOPHAGUS VARIOLICOLLIS sp. nov. 



Plate viii, fig. 60. 



$ Black, opaque, parts of tarsi, palpi, and base of antennae reddish, club 

 paler. 



Head wide, with a Avide, thin, strongly curved horn near each eye, each horn 

 with an obtuse projection on its outer side al)ou1 the middle; j)U]i('tures between 

 horns and clypeal suture sparser than elsewhere. CUypeiis with sides oblique and 

 moderately elevated, apex more elevated and rather liglitly notched; with dense 

 asperate punctures; suture not carinated, median portion straight and rather 

 feeblj' defined, the lateral parts oblique, their conjoint length about half of the 

 total. Eyes rather large, facets inconspicuous. Prothorax with sides rather 

 strongly rounded, front angles subacutely produced, sides with margins and 

 gutters distinct, apex feebly margined, base not at all ; with numerous large, 

 round, shallow, l)ut not crowded, punctures. Elytra with narrow striae, inter- 

 stices feebly separately convex, and each with two irregular rows of. small 

 granules, except the first and sixth, which have but one row ; suture subtubercu- 

 late at base. Metasternum and pygidium with punctures somewhat as on pro- 

 thorax. Apical segment of abdomen almost vanishing in middle. Front tibiae 

 long and strongly curved. Length, 8 mm. 



Hab. North-western Australia: Wyndham (J. Clark, from W. Crawshaw). 

 Type, I. 15420. 



The upper-surface of the head and prothorax of the type is entirely bald, 

 but the sculpture is of such a nature that this may be due to abrasion ; on its 

 under-surfaee and legs there are but sparse hairs and setae; the species is such 

 an isolated one, however, that I have not hesitated to describe it. The curvature 

 of the horns is somewhat as on 0. nodnlifer ; 0. comperei sometimes has the horns 

 compound in the male, but both outwardly and inwardly its punctures and 

 clypeus are also very different. The punctures on tlie head apj^ear as if made 

 with a pointed instrument forcing backwards a small portion of the derm Avhen 

 soft, so as to have a granulated appearance in front of the eyes, a transversely 

 granulated appearance between them, and the clypeus to have numerous 

 granules and small transverse ridges ; the granules on the elytra are very distinct, 

 and each has a setiferous puncture on its hind part, the setae very small and 

 inconspicuous, even from the sides; on the prothorax the punctures are large and 

 shallow, but well defined, from certain directions some of them appear to be 

 crescentic. 



