274 PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM vol. m 



piled on a bare spot of ground several weeks previously. In turning up the soil 

 that had been covered by the clippings a rather large and neatly formed pod of 

 dead grass was discovered, and along with it a female splendidus [miarophagus]. 

 Careful examination disclosed a branched tunnel with four additional food pods. 

 One of the pods was preserved, and is before me at the present writing, the others 

 were placed in a box of moist soil, from which the beetles emerged the following 

 August. The food pods were all pear-shaped, and very uniform in size, measuring 

 about two inches in length by one inch in their greatest diameter. The pods 

 are interesting because of their relatively large size, and from being composed 

 entirely of clean, fresh grass blades. A greater bulk of clean food seems to be 

 required than is the case with the more concentrated material (droppings of 

 animals) most frequently used by the beetles in this section of the family 

 Scarabaeidae. 



The above account indicates quite a difference in the habits of 

 miarophagus from the eastern splendidus. North Carolina specimens 

 of splendidus made a single "pod" of dead leaves at the bottoms of 

 their burrows. In two instances caged specimens used cow dung to 

 provision the larval cell. In addition to these food and burrow dif- 

 ferences, there appears to have been some difference in the shape of 

 the pod. The eastern beetles formed a mass best described as a 

 stubby bent cigar-shape, 2)2 to 3K inches long, and of fairly uniform 

 diameter, three-fourths of an inch to 1 iach wide. 



It will be very interesting if future investigation further correlates 

 these differences in biology between the two subspecies with the 

 morphological differences already noted. 



Geotrupes semiopacus Jekel 



Geotrupes semiopacus Jelvcl, 1865, p. 612 (type, series in collection of H. Jekel, 

 location unknown). — Horn, 1868, p. 316. — Blanchard, 1888, p. 106. — 

 Blatchley, 1910, p. 939; 1928, p. 45.— Dawson, 1922, p. 196.— Bradley, 

 1944, p. 112. 



Geotrupes blackburnii Melsheimer (not Fabricius), 1846, p. 139. 



Geotrupes melsheimeri Jekel, 1865, p. 613. — Horn, 1868, p. 316. 



Geotrupes ovalipennis Jekel, 1865, p. 614. — Boucomont, 1912, p. 28. 



Length 12.5 to 19.5 mm., greatest width 8 to 11 mm. 



Color of dorsum dull green to pm-ple, faintly iridescent with under- 

 lying color of dark brown to black. Ventrally specimens are black 

 with traces of bluish iridescence. Antennal club reddish brown, 

 other segments dark reddish black. Eye canthus, clypeus, and small 

 anterior portion of vertex coarsely, vaguely punctured. The three 

 tubercles on the head only vaguely indicated. The Y-shaped sutural 

 line on vertex and clypeal base entu-e, as in blackburnii, or only present 

 medially. Clypeus margined, more arcuate anteriorly. Margined 

 eye canthus forms a very obtuse angle with edge of clypeus. Sides 

 of eye canthi gradually arcuate. Pronotum sometimes completely 

 margined, usually with median portion of posterior margin obsolete. 



