ONITICELLTJS. — APHODITJS. 83 



1. OniticellllS monstroSUS. (Tab. VI. figg. 7, d ; 7 a, side view of head and 

 thorax ; 8, $ ; 8 a, side view of head and thorax.) 



Magnus, latus, depressus, supra passim dense et minute granulatus, brevissime setosus, fere opacus, niger, capite 

 et thorace chalybeo vel viridi-aeneo tinctis ; capite lato clypeoque late arcuato ; thorace elytris latiore, 

 magno quadrate-, postice leviter angustato, dorso late depresso vel concavo, canaliculato ; elytris subtiliter 

 punctulato-striatis ; tibiis posticis apice valde dilatatis. 



J . Frons tuberculo : vertex cornu brevi acuto medio armatus. Thorax dorso late concavo et utrinque longi- 



tudinaliter elevato-carinato. 

 5 . Frons valde transversim carinata ; vertex breviter bicornutus. Thorax dorso antico breviter tricornuto. 



Long. 18-22 millim. ; 2 hat. thoracis 12 millim. 



Eab. Mexico, Guadalajara (Edge). 

 Three examples. 



Fam. APHODXIDiE. 



APHODIUS. 



Aphodius, Illiger, Kugel. Yerz. der Kafer Preuss. p. 15 (1798) ; Erichson, Ins. Deutschl. iii. 1, 

 p. 792. 

 About 460 species of this well-known genus are known to science. By far the 

 greater number belong to the Palsearctic and Nearctic provinces, very few being found 

 in the Indian and Malayan regions, and still fewer in Australasia. In both Africa and 

 America the genus is spread over the tropical and south temperate zones of the 

 continents, but fewer and less varied species occur in South America than in corre- 

 sponding latitudes in Africa. 



I. Scutellum large, elongate-triangular. 

 l. Aphodius dugesi. (Tab. VI. fig. 9, 6 .) 



A. hcemorrhoidali similis, sed valde differt tibiarum posteriorum setis apicalibus inaequalibus capiteque inermi. 

 A. harnato (Say) afflnis: multo minor, convexus, niger, nitidus; capite bevi, convexo ; clypeo explanato, 

 leviter cmarginato, lateribus rotundatis, genis obtuse angulatis ; thorace sparsim irregulariter grossissime 

 punctato, basi immarginata ; scutello Isevissimo, vix depresso ; elytris relative brevibus, crenato-striatis, 

 interstitiis planis, laevibus, apicem versus vix convexioribus ; pedibus rufo-piceis. 



S . Tibiae anticse calcare curvato spatbulato ; tarsi postici articulo primo subtus furcato. 



Var. elytris apice vel totis rufo-piceis. 



Long. 4| millim. 



Hab. Mexico, Guanajuato (Duges, coll. Salle), Tupataro (Edge). 



Belongs to Dr. Horn's Group B (cf. Trans. Am. Ent. Soc, 1870, p. Ill), which 

 contains six other much larger species inhabiting the United States ; all these species 

 exhibit in the male the same singular dilatation of the fore tibial spur and the forked 

 or hooked basal joint of the hind tarsi. The, latter structure is apparently produced 

 by a spine-like process arising from the thickened apex of the joint, and directed a 

 little obliquely towards the base. 



The species bears the MS. name A. grossus, Duges, in the Salle collection. 



MM 2 



