Genus Saprosites Redtenbacher, 1858

• 1858. Saprosites Redtenbacher, Fauna Austriaca Die Kafer, ed. 2, p. 436.

• 1904. Saprosites Redtenbacher, Blackburn, Proc. Roy. Soc. Vict., 17 (new series), (1): 174.

• 1910. Saprosites Redtenbacher, Schmidt, Genera Insectorum, Fasc 110: 103.

• 1910. Saprosites Redtenbacher, Schmidt, Coleopt. Cat. 20: 79.

• 1922. Saprosites Redtenbacher, Schmidt, Das Tierreich Lief, 45: 389, 398.

In 1858, Redtenbacher erected the genus Saprosites to describe a new species of Aphodiid, Saprosites peregrinus, found in large numbers in the orchid-houses of Schonbrunn, Vienna, and believed to have been introduced into Europe in soil from America. Since then members of this genus have been recorded in most parts of the world. It is by far the largest Aphodiid genus represented in New Zealand.

Saprosites is very closely related to Illiger's genus Aphodius, but Redtenbacher, although he realised that they were separate genera, failed to define the diagnostic characters which distinguish them. In his key to the European genera of Aphodiidae he distinguished Saprosites from Aphodius by saying that in Aphodius at rest the top part of the eye is not covered, whereas in Saprosites it is. In all specimens of Saprosites examined by the author the eye has never been covered. All members of the genus Saprosites examined by the author possess a strongly punctured groove

running across the base of each abdominal sternite. This is absent in Aphodius. This distinctive character was suggested by Mr. E. B. Britton, of the British Museum (Nat. Hist.), and Dr. Rudolf Petrovitz, of the Naturhistorisches Museum, Vienna, confirmed this after examining the type species Saprosites may also be distinguished from Aphodius by the absence of transverse ridges on the middle and hind tibiae of Saprosites.

In 1910, Schmidt redescribed the genera Aphodius Illiger and Saprosites Redtenbacher His descriptions are unfortunately quite worthless, and from them it is impossible to separate the two genera.

The genus Saprosites, therefore must now be redefined as follows:

Head prognathous, unarmed, glabrous on dorsal surface. Clypeus widely emarginate distally Eyes partly hidden by anterior border of pronotum. Pronotum with posterior angles obtuse. Body cylindrical in shape, thorax and pronotum subequal in width. Scutellum small, elongate-triangular. Each elytron with nine narrow, longitudinal striae. Pygidium completely covered by elytra. Each abdominal sternite with a strongly and coarsely punctured transverse groove across its base. Body and legs punctulate. Legs short and robust. Middle and hind tibiae without transverse ridges; hind tibiae with two large terminal spuis; all tarsi slender, five-segmented. Entire body surface nitid.