230 
G. J. Snowball. 
Aphodius granarius, Linn. 
This world-wide species is present botli at Crawley and Katanning in horse 
and cow dung. Its small numbers preclude its being of much importance 
in the succession. 
Aphodius ambiguus, Bohexn. 
Also kno^\^l as A.frenchi Blkb, this species is widely distributed in Africa 
and Australia (Lea, 1923). Its importance in the dung community v^aries 
greatly at Crawley and Katanning. At Crawley, specimens are most numerous 
in the period May to August, the total range being from mid-April to October. 
Their numbers are always far short of those of A . lividus or G. haemorrlioidalis* 
Tliey aj^pear beneath the fresh dung, where they remain until the majority 
of the other dung-invading beetles have left. By this time the dung has 
usually attained the fourth stage. The beetles then commence to migrate 
inside. This well marked succession of the species to the others is a feature of 
the winter cycle in dung. In many cases they remain c^uiescent on the lower 
surface without entering the dung. While they have never been seen feedings 
the gut contents indicate that dung forms the staple food. At Crawley they 
also frequent rotting bark, carrion, and decaying grass. 
At Katanning in August, 1941, a different state of affairs was seen. In- 
stead of being in the minority, they far exceeded all the other dung-frequenting 
beetles in number. As at Crawley, they tended to remain on the low^er surface 
of cakes of all stages though numbers had penetrated even into fresh dung. 
Nothing is known of the life history of A. awbiguus in spite of the presence 
of numerous females vith well-developed oocytes in their ovaries. Possibly 
some of the Scarab larvae found in the cow dung belong to this species. 
Proctophanes sculptus, Hope. 
This bulky beetle occurs all the year round at Crawley, becoming most 
numerous in the period May to August. Its position in the succession is 
difficult to estimate as it frequently occurs associated with A. ambiguus but 
also singly in very fresh and more rarely in dry fifth stage dung. Both larvae 
and adults are coprophagous. 
Owing to the length of the life history and the fierce competition offered 
by Sciarid larvae under laboratory conditions, the information on it has been 
collected only from a few cases. Seven specimens were reared from the egg 
during the period June to November, 1941, and the length of the period from 
hatching to emergence of the adult ranged from 97 to 157 days. 
The eggs, which are scattered singly in fourth stage dung, hatch about 
12 days after laying. The pupal period is approximately three weeks, the 
pupae being found in the sand under the dung. The lar\'al period is thus shorter 
than that of Aphodius tasmaniae (Swan, 1934), which takes from April to De- 
cember. The larvae Proctophanes may remain in a quiescent non-feeding 
state for as long as 48 days prior to pupation. 
Ataenius ? inTegricollis, Lea. 
In August, 1940, three specimens were collected in cow dung at Crawley,, 
the species having been described from Queensland (Lea, 1923B). Specimens 
of an unidentified species of Ataenius, two at Crawley in December, 1941, and 
one at Dog Swamp, Tuart Hill in January, 1942, were taken from cow dung. 
According to Blackburn (1904) tlie Australian species of Ataenius are probably 
numerous. Considerably more of them came to his notice than all the described 
