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



Onthophagus verticalis, Fahr., Cat. i., p. 222. 

 0. comiculatus, Pering., nee Eeiche., loc. cit., p. 222. 



I placed (loc. cit.) 0. verticalis, Fahr., Ins. Caffr., ii., p. 308, in 

 synonymy with 0. comiculatus, Eeiche, which is certainly extremely 

 closely allied to it. It differs, however, in the punctuation of the 

 prothorax being simple and somewhat remote on the disk, with the 

 exception of a median smooth band, but asperous and more closely 

 set as it reaches the sides, where it is granulate, and that of the 

 intervals of the elytra consists of not very closely set granules. In 

 0. verticalis both the prothorax and the elytra are covered with 

 very fine and very closely set granules. 



In addition to the localities given, 0. verticalis is recorded from 

 the Orange Eiver Colony (Bloemfontein) and Plumtree (Southern 

 Ehodesia). 



Onthophagus decedens, Paring., 



Plate XLVIIL, figs. 5, 6. 



Ann. S. Afric. Museum, iii., 1904, p. 219. 



Head and prothorax light bronze, moderately shiny, the latter 

 with a flavescent lateral patch, broad in the anterior part, narrower 

 behind and not reaching the posterior angle, the elytra are light 

 testaceous with the striae fuscous, pygidium and pectus bronze, the 

 legs sub-testaceous, the abdomen darker than the pectus ; it is 

 covered with a short, very dense greyish pubescence longer in the 

 posterior part of the elytra, and very long and silky on the pygidium ; 

 clypeus slightly elongated, rounded in front with the anterior margin 

 refiexed, covered with deep, transverse, setigerous punctures separated 

 by raised, irregular folds ; in the male the scabrose punctate frontal part 

 is produced from the raised frontal suture into a triangular lamina 

 dividing at the tip into two divaricating sharp horns, and having a 

 short triangular tooth in the centre, the two teeth barely reach the 

 height of the anterior part of the prothorax, the median anterior part 

 of which is sub-vertical and impunctate along the base and also on 

 each side of the declivity, but otherwise covered all over with very 

 closely set granules denser and smaller on the centre of the disk than 

 on the sides, the upper part of the anterior declivity is simple, in 

 shape the prothorax is slightly broader than long, finely carinate 

 along the base and the posterior angles are rounded; in the female the 

 clypeus is less semicircular, the clypeal suture is arcuate and sharply 

 carinate, the frontal part closely granular, and there is a slightly 

 arcuate lamina-like ridge with sharp outer angles situated between 

 the eyes but stopping at some distance from them ; the anterior part 





