We report the results of a preliminary nova survey of Local Group dwarf ellipticals .
We used the 15 ’ field-of-view CCD camera on the 0.8 m telescope at the Tenagra Observatory to observe M32 , NGC 205 , NGC 147 , and NGC 185 in their entirety every clear night over a 4.5 month interval and discovered one nova in M32 and a candidate nova in NGC 205 .
The nova in M32 was verified spectroscopically .
The nova candidate in NGC 205 had an unusually low peak luminosity ( M _ { V } = -5.1 ) , and we were unable to obtain spectroscopic verification .
Archival HST images provide us with a limit on the outburst amplitude for this object of > 4.6 Vmag .
These facts prompt us to consider the possibility that this object is not a genuine nova .
We report a high bulk nova rate for M32 of 2 ^ { +2.4 } _ { -1.0 } yr ^ { -1 } and , assuming the candidate nova is correctly identified , for NGC 205 of 2 ^ { +2.2 } _ { -1.0 } yr ^ { -1 } .
If the NGC 205 variable is not a nova , we calculate an upper limit on the bulk nova rate for NGC 205 of 1.5 yr ^ { -1 } .
We report upper limits on the bulk nova rates in NGC 147 of 2 yr ^ { -1 } and NGC 185 of 1.8 yr ^ { -1 } and a combined bulk nova rate for the four galaxies of 4 ^ { +4.2 } _ { -1.4 } yr ^ { -1 } ( 2 ^ { +3.9 } _ { -1.4 } yr ^ { -1 } without the NGC 205 nova candidate ) .
The bulk rates we report here are based on Monte Carlo simulations using nova maximum magnitudes and decline rates and individual epoch frame limits .
From the Monte Carlo rates , integrated and extinction corrected V-band photometry , and ( V-K ) _ { 0 } colors we derive a luminosity specific nova rate for M32 of 12.0 ^ { +14.4 } _ { -6.0 } yr ^ { -1 } [ 10 ^ { 10 } L _ { \odot,K } ] ^ { -1 } and for NGC 205 of 29.3 ^ { +32.3 } _ { -14.7 } yr ^ { -1 } [ 10 ^ { 10 } L _ { \odot,K } ] ^ { -1 } and for the combined 4 galaxies of 14.1 ^ { +14.8 } _ { -4.9 } yr ^ { -1 } [ 10 ^ { 10 } L _ { \odot,K } ] ^ { -1 } ( 7.0 ^ { +13.7 } _ { -4.9 } yr ^ { -1 } [ 10 ^ { 10 } L _ { \odot,K } ] ^ { -1 } without the NGC 205 nova candidate ) .
The higher combined rate is 2.5 \sigma higher than expected from assuming a constant luminosity specific nova rate as a function of K-band luminosity as derived from more massive galaxies .
If the higher rate is confirmed by surveys in subsequent seasons , it would imply that either dwarf ellipticals have a higher interacting binary fraction than their higher mass counter parts , or that the completeness is higher for these less complex systems and the nova rates for larger , more distant systems are systematically underestimated .