279 



N.H. (VI.) XIV., that Harold was probably mistaken in re- 

 garding this species as a synonym of declivis, Har. I have before 

 me a Queensland specimen which I compared some years ago with 

 the type of desecttis and found to be identical. It is, I think, 

 certainly distinct from declivis from which (of same sex, female) 

 it differs by its considerably more nitid surface, the quite strong 

 emargination of the middle of the frontal carina, the much more 

 conspicuous longitudinal carina occupying the middle of the 

 retuse portion of the pronotum, and bhe much larger and deeper 

 punctures of the metasternum. It would be interesting to know 

 what species it was that Sir W. Macleay regarded as declivis, 

 Har., in 1888, when he reported that species as occurring in 

 N.W. Australia. If he considered it as identical with desectus 

 (i.e., if by declivis he meant desectus) then in all probability the 

 insect from N.W. Australia that he described (Proc. L.S , 1888, 

 p. 899) under the name devexus as " very like 0. declivis, but of 

 a much coarser and roagher sculpture " was the true declivis. 

 The remainder of the description fits 0. declivis, Har., very well 

 except in the mention of the frontal carina being " very minutely 

 emarginate in the middle " I have not seen any example of 

 declivis of either sex having that carina emarginate, but there is 

 certainly sufficient tendency to variation in the frontal structure 

 of the Onthophagi to render it very inexpedient to found a species 

 upon slight difierences in that character alone. 



O. Schmeltzi, Har. I have no doubt but what this is a variety 

 of 0. capella, Kirby. There is absolutely nothing in its author's 

 description and remarks to differentiate it from capella except 

 the form of the frontal lamina in the male, and even that is a 

 mere difference in the shape of the outline of the portion connect- 

 ing the erect extremities. 



0. jnacrocephalus, Kirby. Sat latus ; supra glaber ; subtus fulvo- 

 hirtus ; minus nitidus ; niger, antennis ferrugineis, clava 

 testacea ; clypeo transversim rugato ; sutura clypeali sat 

 fortiter carinata ; carina f rontali sat alta ; capite inter 

 carinas nitido obsolete punctulato ; oculis convexis manifeste 

 granulatis, sat angustis (horum latitudine quam antennarum 

 clavee fere duplo minori) ; prothorace quam longiori ut 18 

 ad 11 latiori, supra antice retuso, fere laevi vel potius obso- 

 letissime (latera versus paullo magis perspicue) punctulato, 

 parte dorsali media antice tuberculis 2 (ut 0. capellce, Kirby) 

 instructis, tuberculis inter hos et margines laterales nuUis, 

 fovea magna laterali fortiter impressa^ lateribus fortiter 

 arcuatis postice ^fortiter sinuatis, angulis anticis (ut 

 0. capellce) subobtusis posticis valde obtusis, sulco marginali 

 laterali trans basin continuo in medio vix dilatato, carina 

 marginali trans basin continua (prope angulos sat obsoleta, 



