NORTH AMERICAN GEOTRUPINAE — HOWDEN 167 



punctate, more so anteriorly. Minute secondary punctures evenly 

 distributed over pronotum. Declivity of pronotal modification 

 coarsely punctured only in lower half. Scutellum usually with two 

 or three coarse punctm-es and numerous minute secondary punctures. 

 The second, fifth, and eighth elytral striae almost obsolete, indicated 

 by a few punctm-es; second stria having 6 to 12 punctures. Punctures 

 in elytral striae separated by about their own diameter; without setae. 

 Epipleuron and elytral margin each bear a row of long setae. Fore- 

 tibia usuall}^ armed with eight teeth on outer margin. Mesosternal 

 prominence in front of middle coxae only slightly elevated, above 

 metasternal plane. Hair of underside moderately long and dense. 



Head of male having a tubercle formed by anterior margin of each 

 eye canthus and one on the median anterior margin of clypeus. Horn 

 in center of vertex pronounced, almost twice as long as tubercle of 

 clypeus and usually slightly bifid at tip (except in worn specimens). 

 Head of femxale lacking the tubercles on eye canthi and clypeus. Horn 

 of vertex replaced by transverse carina in front of eyes. The carina 

 higher in center with two vague elevations and ending in a small 

 tubercle on each side (usually not noticeable in worn specimens). 

 Pronotal modification of male with transverse carina feebly emargi- 

 nate. Lateral limiting grooves shallow, lateral carinae small. In the 

 female the transverse carina is slightly developed and evenly arcuate, 

 highest at the midline. The lateral carinae and limiting grooves only 

 barely indicated. 



Genital capsule of male elongate, lateral lobes lobate basally, almost 

 three times as long as wide, tipped with a number of long setae (pi. 3, 

 fig. 3). 



Variation is mainly evident in the black area of the elytra. Usually 

 the black area covers at least half the area of each elytron, but in a 

 few cases the area may be reduced to vague black spots barely confluent 

 with the sutural and marginal stripes, and then only in anterior 

 portions. 



Bolbocerosoma farctum is a wide-ranging eastern species, nowhere 

 common. Other than an occasional reference to its occurrence in local 

 lists of species, nothing has been published on its biology. 



In North Carolina the species has been collected in some areas of 

 the mountains, the piedmont plateau, and two localities on the coastal 

 plain. In the localities where I have collected specimens the im- 

 mediate vicinity has been rather sandy. Specimens have been taken 

 in February, April, May, June, July, August, September, and October, 

 indicating a long period of adult activity. At Oxford, N. C, several 

 light traps were run by the Tobacco Experiment Station for much of 

 the summer, and between Aug. 2-13, 1951, 12 specimens of farctum 

 were taken in the traps. After mid-August, no other specimens were 



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