NORTH AMERICAN GEOTRUPINAE — HOWDEN 237 



County, Ala., where in June 1934 he made the following observations 

 (1935, p. 108): 



... in burrows in the ground, in diameter the size of a lead pencil and about an inch 

 and one-half deep, with some leaf frass at the bottom. . . . [found] 14 speci- 

 mens all similarly located under leaves on level ground at the side of mountain 

 paths, never more than one specimen in a hole one and a half to 2 inches deep 

 with leaf frass at the bottom, [but] no larvae. In July Dr. Jones again visited 

 the mountain and this time besides several beetles also found three larvae, 2 in 

 one hole and one in another. The food seems to be decomposing leaves. 



From the above information it would appear that the formation of 

 the brood cells (and also the time of egg laying) was in June with 

 rapid larval development in late June and July. The larvae collected 

 by Dr. Jones in July and later described by Ritcher (1947, p. 8) and 

 seen by the present wi'iter appear to be small third instars. Adults 

 which have been collected in September and October would seem to 

 represent the newly emerged brood. 



The third-stage larva of Geotrupes ulkei was described by Ritcher 

 (1947, p. 8) and a caudal view of the last abdominal segment was 

 given (p. 27). 



One interesting featm-e of the third-stage larva is the small size of 

 the head capsule, the maximum width mentioned by Ritcher being 

 2.45 to 2.52 mm. 



In addition to the characters given by Ritcher, the following struc- 

 tures might be mentioned: Galea (pi. 7, fig. 1) of the maxilla with 

 only 6 or 7 setae on its inner siu-face (other known species have 9 or 

 more setae); epipharynx with a pronounced row of short stubby bristles 

 running from the posterior tip of the dexiopternotorma to the tip of 

 the posterior epitorma, and tips of all the legs with a tubercle, but 

 lacking the small brownish claw. 



Specimens examined: 16 males, 28 females. 

 ALABAMA: 13 males, 19 females. Monte Sano (Madison County); (30) June, 



(2) July. 

 NORTH CAROLINA: 5 females. No data. 

 VIRGINIA: 3 males, 4 females. Bald Knob, Fisher's Gap (Shenandoah National 



Park, Page County), Hillsboro, Mountain Lake Biological Station (Giles 



County), Salt Pond Mountain (Giles County); (2) July, (2) August, (1) 



September. 



Geotrupes blackburnii blackburnii (Fabricius) 



Scarabaeus hlackhurnii Fabricius, 1781, p. 20, No. 85. Lectotype, here designated, 



male; lectotype label placed on specimen by S. L. Tuxen (Fabrician collection 



at Kiel). 

 Geotrupes hlackhurnii (Fabricius) Castelnau, 1840, p. 100. — Jekel, 1865, p. 529. — 



Horn, 1868, p. 317.— Blanchard, 1888, p. 106.— Blatchley, 1928, p. 44.— 



Bradley, 1944, p. 112. 

 Geotrupes conicollis Jekel, 1865, p. 591. — Horn, 1868, p. 317. 

 Geotrupes jekellii Horn, 1868, p. 317. 



