578 Transactions South African Philosophical Society, [vol. xiii. 



Onthophagus beikanus, n. sp. 



Fuscous bronze, moderately shiny, almost glabrous above ; head 

 and prothorax more aeneous than the elytra, antennal club flavescent ; 

 clypeus -rounded but somewhat obtuse in the centre, the margin of 

 which is raised, and the gense well projecting, it is separated from 

 the frontal part by a distinctly raised, only moderately arcuate 

 carina ; in the great development of the $ the anterior frontal part 

 is simple, and on the vertex are two long, erect horns as long as the 

 whole head, not united at the base, and each set close to the eye ; in 

 the ? there is in the anterior part and close to the clypeal ridge a 

 shorter, strongly arcuate one and the posterior part is produced into 

 an erect laminate process deeply emarginate in the centre, where 

 there is a very small tooth, the angles of the lamina being sharp and 

 like short horns ; the clypeus and the genge are closely punctate, the 

 punctures simple, the central frontal part is smooth in the $ , finely 

 punctulate in the $ ; prothorax declivous in front in the $ and with 

 two slight depressions there immediately behind the cephalic horns, 

 simple at apex, finely but not closely, and equally aciculate, slightly 

 sinuate laterally behind with the basal angle quite rounded, and 

 the base finely marginate on the sides of the base but not in the 

 centre, no impression or traces of a longitudinal line in the posterior 

 median part of the disk ; in the small development of the $ the pro- 

 thorax is a little more plane in front, almost vertical in the centre and 

 has a faint, smooth ridge at the apex ; elytra narrowly striate, the 

 stri&e closely punctulate ; intervals of equal size in the dorsal part, 

 and filled w 7 ith two series of irregularly disposed punctures somewhat 

 rough in the dorsal intervals and asperous or subgranulose laterally, 

 each of them however extremely briefly setigerous ; pygidium deeply 

 and somewhat closely punctate, the punctures simple not setigerous, 

 basal margin slightly angular in the centre ; anterior tibiae not 

 mucronate inwardly and inner spur slightly incurved at tip in both 

 sexes. 



Differing as the two sexes seem to be in the armature of the head 

 and shape of prothorax there can be no doubt as to their identity, 

 3 $ $ and 1 $ having been captured the same day and in the same 

 spot. 



The armature of the head in both sexes resembles that of 0. bovinus 

 Per. (Catal. i., p. 209), but not so the shape of the clypeus and 

 prothorax, or the sculpture of the latter. It is also allied to 0. 

 birugatus, d'Orb. 



Length 7-8 mm. ; width 3f-4J mm. 



Hab. Mozambique (Beira ; Lucitania). 



