PROCEEDINGS OF THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



issued 



SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION 



U. S. NATIONAL MUSEUM 



Vol. 104 



Washington: 1955 



No. 3342 



BIOLOGY AND TAXONOMY OF NORTH AMERICAN BEETLES 

 OF THE SUBFAMILY GEOTRUPINAE, WITH REVISIONS OF 

 THE GENERA BOLBOCEROSOMA, EUCANTHUS, GEO- 

 TRUPES, AND PELTOTRUPES (SCARABAEIDAE) 



By Henry F. Howden ^ 



Introduction 



A number of entomologists have been interested in the biology and 

 taxonomy of the beetles in the subfamily Geotrupinae, family Scara- 

 baeidae. While the adults have been collected and their habits 

 recorded, little has been published on the biology of the larvae of 

 these elusive beetles. 



Revisions of the genera Eucanthus, Bolbocerosoma, Geotrupes, and 

 Peltotrwpes are included, with descriptions of seven new species and 

 subspecies. Also, two previously unrecognized subspecies of Geotrupes 

 are described. 



The key to the tribes and genera of North American Geotrupinae 

 is on page 161, and in the review of the subfamily the genera and species 

 are treated in the following order: 



Bolbocerosoma Schaeffer 

 B.farctum (Fabricius) 

 B. confusum Brown 

 B. tumefactum (Palisot de Beauvois) 

 B. bruneri Dawson and McCoUoch 

 B. hamatum Brown 

 B. lepidissimum Brown 



B. biplagiatum Dawson and McColloch 

 B. pusillum Dawson and McColloch 

 B. pusillum townesi, new subspecies 

 B. quadricornum Robinson 

 B. ritcheri, new species 

 B. cartwrighti, new species 

 B. elongatum, new species 



' Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tenn., formerly of North 

 Carolina State College, Raleigh, N. C. 



327015—55- 



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