Abstract Karyotype analysis shows that Copris hispanus cavolinii Petagna should be regarded as a separate species from C. hispanus Linnaeus, and that Onthophagus massai Baraud is a valid species, not a synonym of Onthophagus fracticornis Preyssler. Chromosomal variation between populations of O. fracticornis is discussed, and Spanish material is shown to be the most distinct of the populations studied, but it is not considered that it should be placed as a separate species. Pleistocene fossil O. massai and Bronze Age O. fracticornis from England are discussed and illustrated. The distinctive elytral puncturation of O. massai is shown by the Pleistocene material, while Bronze Age O. fracticornis resembles modern material of that species.