The Commission has ruled that the current usage of the generic name Bothynus Hope, 1837 for well-known scarab beetles of the family scarabaeidae (subfamily dynastinae) is conserved by the designation of Scarabaeus ascanius Kirby, 1819 as the type species. The original type species of Bothynus was Geotrupes cuniculus Fabricius, 1801, but was based on a misidentification. The designation of S. ascanius Kirby, 1819 as the type species was proposed by Lacordaire in 1856, but, although this was adopted by most taxonomists, this was not valid under the Code.