GEOTRUPIDiE. — BOLBOCERUS. 177 



Family XXVI.— GEOTRUPIDJE, MacLeay. 



Antenna eleven-jointed, the basal joint elongate, subclavate, thecapitulum large, 

 triphyllous and subglobose. Labrum exserted, crustaceous : mandibles por- 

 rect, horny : maxillae crustaceous, with membranaceous processes : palpi fili- 

 form ; maxillary naked; labial slightly pilose: head sometimes cornuted: 

 clypeus triangular : thorax broader than long : scutellum distinct : body 

 convex, orbiculate-ovate, or suborbicular : legs very stout: tibiae broad, 

 spinose at the apex, the anterior dentate externally; the posterior some- 

 what dilated at the apex: tarsi rather long, slender: claws distinct. 



The indigenous Geotrupidse are generally large and conspicuous 

 insects : from the Scarabseidse they differ by their corneous man- 

 dibles, and by their more convex form ; they are coprophagous, 

 and excavate deep cylindric holes in the earth under their food : the 

 following genera have been distinguished, and may be known by 

 the annexed concise definitions : 



fteitio longiore : . . . 193. Bolbocerus. 



Antennarum 

 articulo secundo\ fcornutus: . 194. Typhosus. 



I globoso, tcrtio breviore: j 



L Thorax] 



antke [muticus: . 195. Geotrupes. 



Genus CXCIII. — Bolbocerus, Kirby. 



Antennas rather short, the basal joint elongate, subclavate, very pilose on its 

 inner edge ; second large, cup-shaped ; the six following short, transverse ; 

 the remainder forming a large oval club, the first joint of which is largest, 

 and the terminal smallest. Palpi maxillary with the fourth joint considerably 

 longer than the third, subcylindric : head small, with an erect occipital horn 

 in the male: thorax large, unequal, cornuted in the males, simple in the 

 females: elytra short, convex: body suborbicular: legs rather long: tibiae 

 curved; anterior compressed and serrated without; intermediate and posterior 

 denticulated: tarsi long, basal and terminal joints of equal length; fourth 

 smallest. 



Bolbocerus was first described as a distinct genus from Geotrupes 

 by Mr. Kirby, in the Linnean Transactions, although the name 

 Odontseus had been previously applied thereto on the continent, 

 but without characters : — the genus may be readily known from 

 the others of the family, by the brevity of the third joint of the an- 

 tennae, which is considerably shorter than the second, exclusively 



