Geotrupes. | LAMELLICORNIA. 45 
longitudinal line , thorax in both sexes rather thickly punctured at 
sides, with the dise very diffusely punctured, and with a longitudinal 
line in centre, abbreviated in front, and chiefly indicated by an irregular 
single or double row of large punctures ; the greatest breadth is behind 
middle; elytra at base about as broad as thorax, with rather strong but 
finely-punctured striz, of which seven are placed between the suture 
and humeral prominence ; legs black, posterior tibie with three carine 
on their outer side. L, 14-20 mm. 
Male with the thorax larger than in female, the posterior femora 
armed before base with a sharp tubercle, and the trochanters produced 
into a spine at apex ; the anterior tibie are longitudinally keeled in the 
middle beneath, the keel being more or less distinctly toothed, ending 
in a sharp tooth at the base of the third inflexed marginal tooth, and 
not enlarged before that tooth; the posterior femora and the apex 
of their trochanters are strongly toothed, the femoral tooth being 
somewhat the stronger of the two, and slightly recurved. 
In dung; generally distributed and common throughout the kingdom. 
G. stercorarius, L., nec Er. (putridarius, Er.). Closely allied to 
the preceding, but rather larger on an average, with the body more 
shining and more metallic ; the chief distinguishing character, however, 
lies in the fact that the abdomen is punetured and pubescent through- 
out, even in the middle; the mandibles are simply sinuate at apex 
instead of bisinuate as in the preceding species; the thorax is im- 
punctate or almost impunctate on dise, and not so thickly punctured at 
the sides, and the central line is less strongly indicated, and scarcely, if at 
all, punctured ; the antennz are usually lighter, but this is not a de- 
pendable character ; in the male the anterior tibie are longitudinally 
keeled beneath, but the keel is not denticulate, and ends in an acute 
toothlet at the base of the third marginal tooth (which is scarcely 
inflexed), and is enlarged outwardly in a curve before this toothlet ; 
the posterior trochanters and femora are toothed, with the teeth equal 
in size. L. 16-23 mm. 
Ip dung; not so common perhaps as the preceding species, but apparently gene- 
rally distributed throaghout the kingdom. 
(G. foveatus, Marsh. (intermedius, Ferr.; punctato-striatus, Steph.; 
putridarius, Muls.; stercorarius var. minor, Er.; stercorarius var. 6, 
Thomson). This species of Marsham is retained in Dr. Sharp’s catalogue 
and the European catalogue of Heyden, Reitter, and Weise, on the 
authority of Baron von Harold, who has made a particular study of the 
genus (Col. Heft. xi. pp. 87-101); there is, however, great confusion with 
regard to it, and I must say that I agree with Mr. Rye (to whose 
remarks on the species in the Entomologist’s Annual for 1874 I am much 
indebted in the descriptions above given) in regarding it either as a myth 
or a hybrid; the anterior tibie appear to be altogether as in G. spiniger, 
Marsh., but the body is shining and metallic as in G. stercorarius, L., and 
