1900.] Catalogue of the Goleoptera of South Africa. 171 



The number of species of Onthopliagus known to inhabit South 

 Africa is considerable ; fourteen of them have a wider distribution, 

 and occur in other parts of Africa. Some are nocturnal, others 

 diurnal. Mr. G. A. K. Marshall informs me that in Southern 

 Ehodesia the brighter coloured species are diurnal, but that some 

 dull ones also belong to the same category. 



The majority of them are found in dung, but some live in fungi 

 (0. ^;a7Z029Z?^s), or in both substances (0. gcmmatus) ; others are 

 found in carrion {auriculatus , dcterrens, lierus, ditus lugeiis). Mr. 

 Marshall wnrites that 0. prcestans has a curious habitat, as it is only 

 found under dead millepedes, and that several species, notably O. 

 suturalis and 0. hrevicornis, utilise the balls made by Scarabcdus, 

 etc., penetrating into them while being made. In a ball of ScarabcBUS 

 iiigro-mneus he took no less than twenty examples of Onthopliagus 

 suturalis. 



Klug has described in Peters' Eeise nach Mozambique twenty-six 

 species, six of which I have not been able to make out, and some 

 of those may be identical with species described after him. Wallen- 

 gren has given the description of two species, and van Lansberge of 

 one, which I have not been able to identify with certainty, nor could 

 the former's descriptions help identification in any way. I have not 

 been able to verify two of Harold's species also. Three of Fahroeus' 

 species, one of which, according to von Harold, is in synonymy, I 

 have not seen. Assuming that all the species are valid, the number 

 of Onthophagi described from the South African area, after deducting 

 those that are synonymous, is now 115, but I have several female 

 examples which I have abstained from describing, and which, when 

 the males are known with certainty, may prove an addition to this 

 number. 



The arrangement of the South African species is of course quite 

 artificial and is given simply to facilitate identification. I trust that 

 the numerous figures given will do much to facilitate it. While the 

 genital armature and the shape of the head and prothorax are 

 faithfully represented in the plates, that of the clypeus and also 

 the delineation of the frontal carinse are not to be relied upon in 

 all cases. 



The shape of the clasping organs does not vary much {vide figs. 20 

 to 26 inclusive on plate xxxviii.), yet there are differences. 



As a rule the ninth or last sternite is very long and cylindrical, 

 and the clasps, which are bent almost at right angles with the 

 sternite, are short and thick, but in 0. dlscrepans, the valves are 

 acuminate, long, sharp at tip, and resemble those of Scaptocnemis 

 segregis (plate xxxviii., fig. 10). 



