Aphodius. | LAMELLICORNIA. 31 
punctured behind, rugose in front, antenne yellow with blackish elub, 
palpi black; thorax extremely finely punctured with large punctures 
intermingled, which in the male are very sparing on disc and thicker at 
base and sides, and in the female are more thickly scattered throughout ; 
scutellum rather large, almost smooth behind ; elytra with rather shallow 
crenate striz, interstices finely punctured; legs brownish-testaceous, 
L 4-6 mm. 
Male shorter, subdepressed, elytra clothed with grey pubescence, 
metasternum with a glabrous impression ; female oblong, subcylindrical, 
elytra very finely pubescent at apex. 
In dung; common and generally distributed throughout the kingdom ; one of the 
commonest of our species of Aphodius. 
A. prodromus, Brahm. ( ? sphacelatus, Panz.; Melinopterus pro- 
dromus, Muls.). Very closely allied to the preceding in colour and 
general appearance, but differs in the following particulars : average size 
lar.er; head longer without a trace, or scarcely a visible trace of frontal 
tubereles ; dise of thorax in male almost impunctate ; sides of thorax, as 
a rule, rather more broadly testaceous ; elytra with the interstices finely 
and thickly punctured on each side, with the space between almost 
smooth ; the spur of the anterior tibie is blunt at apex in male and 
pointed in female, whereas in A. punctato-sulcatus it is sharp in both 
sexes; one of the best characters appears to be in the sculpture of the 
elytra. L. 44-7 mm. 
In dung ; not so abundant as the preceding, but common and generally distributed 
throughout the kingdom. 
4. contaminatus, Herbst. Oblong, convex, somewhat depressed 
on dise, head and thorax black with an neous reflection, very shining, 
anterior angles and usually sides of latter of a reddish or yellowish- 
pitehy colour; antenne black with the two first joints brownish- yellow, 
palpi yellow with last or last two joints brown ; elytra of an obscure 
dirty-testaceous colour, strongly pubescent, with fuscous markings, 
which are somewhat irregular, but usually take the form of longitudinal 
patches, more or less confluent, on the interstices ; head flat with frontal 
tubercles obsolete, distinctly punctured, reddish in front in most eases ; 
thorax suborbicular, only a little shorter than broad, with the dise 
sparingly and finely, and the sides more thickly and strongly, punctured, 
and the sides set with long outstanding hairs (a character that will 
easily distinguish the species); scutellum smooth; elytra with rather 
distinet punctured strie, interstices rather plainly punctured, especially 
at sides ; legs yellowish-brown or brownish-testaceous with knees darker. 
L. 5-65 mm. 
Male with the thorax larger, the elytra more strongly pubescent, and 
the metasternum slightly impressed in middle ; anterior tibiae with apical 
spur rather stout and obliquely truncate at apex. 
In dung; generally distributed throughout the kingdom, and usually common ; it 
