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The fauna of Phanaeini of the northeast of Brazil was investigated through fieldwork in the States of Ceará, Maranhão and Piauí, and through study of preserved material from other states. Seven species of Phanaeini are newly recorded from these three states. Of these, two species are also new records for the northeast region: Phanaeus melibaeus Blanchard and an unidentified Dendropaemon Perty species. A total of 13 new state records are given for eight of the 15 species of Phanaeini recorded from the northeast to date, including three new state genus records. A key is provided for identification of all species. Detailed distributional information is presented together with habitat and bait preferences and other ecological data for each species. The diversity and distribution of the tribe in the northeast is discussed in the context of regional biotopes and wider geographic ranges. The fauna is shown to be more diverse than previously believed, containing both endemic and widespread elements occurring in species assemblages that differ according to habitat type and elevation, leading to substantial complementarity of diversity amongst the main biogeographic provinces and biotopes of the region.
Streblopus Van Lansberge, 1874 has been one of the most mysterious dung beetle groups of the Neotropical fauna, having a rather peculiar morphology, very few known specimens in collections and a difficult placement among the scarabaeine lineages. In this work, based on the examination of a recently collected series of specimens and a synthesis of some scattered, but deeply valuable, information available in the literature, we readdress many of the questions posed by past authors. It is shown that Streblopus is a relict genus composed of two currently living species of widely disjunct distribution, namely S. opatroides Van Lansberge, 1874, from patches of Atlantic Forest in the Brazilian states of Bahia and Espírito Santo, and S. punctatus (Balthasar, 1938), known from a few localities across Sub-Andean humid forests in the Peruvian and Ecuadorian Amazon Forest. We redescribe both and present in detail the evidence pointing to their validity as two independent species; a discussion of their remarkable sexual dimorphism is also given. The biogeography of Streblopus in South America is addressed, and we conclude that the present disjunct distribution of the genus is a consequence of the retreat of the tropical forest corridors that once connected the Atlantic Forest to the Amazon Basin through the South American Dry Diagonal during several periods of the Neogene, particularly until the Middle Miocene. Finally, we propose an African origin for the genus based on its close phylogenetic relationship with a group of Old World taxa ‒ particularly Circellium Latreille, 1825 and Scarabaeini. Having diverged from those groups in the late Upper Cretaceous, we argue that the ancestor of Streblopus arrived in South America crossing the Atlantic Ocean by rafting. We present a synthesis of data from a wide variety of biological groups to support our ideas and contend that long-distance dispersal hypotheses should be taken more seriously by scarab beetle specialists.
Differential diagnoses, updates on distribution ranges, and an illustrated identification key are given for all species of Agamopus. The first record for A. castaneus from Brazil is given. Type specimens of all valid species-group names are studied and illustrated. Notes on the natural history of Agamopus species, as well as brief phylogenetic comments, are presented. The new species Agamopus joker sp. nov. is described based on a male from Paraná, southern Brazil. Lectotypes are designated for Canthon unguicularis Harold, 1883 and Agamopus lampros Bates, 1887. We also propose the transfer of Agamopus convexus Balthasar, 1965 to the Ateuchus ovalis species group (Ateuchus convexus comb. nov.) based on morphological features of the protibiae, clypeal teeth, and the posterior margin of the pronotum and pygidium.
In this article, the subgenus Canthon (Goniocanthon) Pereira & Martínez, 1956 is diagnosed within the tribe Deltochilini Lacordaire, 1856 and redefined with three species: 1) C. (Goniocanthon) bicolor Castelnau, 1840, from the Guyanas and northern South America, included for the first time in this subgenus; 2) C. (G.) smaragdulus (Fabricius, 1781), including two subspecies, C. (G.) smaragdulus smaragdulus, senior synonym of Canthon speculifer Castelnau, 1840 (neotype here designated), from the southern portion of the Atlantic Forest and C. (G.) smaragdulus subviridis Schmidt stat. rev. (lectotype here designated) from the northern portion of the Atlantic Forest; 3) C. (G.) fulgidus Redtenbacher, 1868, which includes three subspecies, C. (G.) fulgidus fulgidus from the southern Amazon (lectotype here designated), C. (G.) fulgidus martinezi subsp. nov., from the central and southern Amazon and C. (G.) fulgidus pereirai subsp. nov., from the western Amazon.
Although extensively studied by different authors over the past 150 years, the taxonomy of Canthon Hoffmannsegg, 1817 and allied genera (which are here informally referred to as 'Canthon sensu lato') still remains problematic. With the aim of resolving some of the questions surrounding these taxa, the present work reviews the taxonomy of one of them, the genus Sylvicanthon Halffter & Martínez, 1977. As defined here, Sylvicanthon is distributed mainly throughout the vast areas of tropical rainforests in the Neotropical region and includes 15 species divided into two groups: the enkerlini group, with a single species, S. enkerlini (Martínez et al., 1964) comb. nov., and the candezei group, with five subgroups: the candezei subgroup, with S. candezei (Harold, 1869), S. genieri sp. nov. and S. foveiventris (Schmidt, 1920); the aequinoctialis subgroup, with S. aequinoctialis (Harold, 1868) comb. nov. and S. proseni (Martínez, 1949) stat. et comb. nov.; the bridarollii subgroup, with S. bridarollii (Martínez, 1949), S. seag sp. nov., S. edmondsi sp. nov. and S. attenboroughi sp. nov.; the furvus subgroup, with S. furvus (Schmidt, 1920), S. monnei sp. nov., S. mayri sp. nov. and S. obscurus (Schmidt, 1920); and the securus subgroup, with a single species, S. securus (Schmidt, 1920) comb. nov. Three species originally included in Sylvicanthon are here (re)transferred to Canthon: Canthon xanthopus Blanchard, 1846 and C. machadoi (Martínez & Pereira, 1967) comb. nov., as well as C. cobosi (Pereira & Martínez, 1960) stat. et comb. nov., which had been previously in synonymy under C. xanthopus. Descriptions, redescriptions, illustrations and comparative tables on the external morphology (including the genital capsule) of the genus and its species are presented, as well as a detailed discussion on their biogeography, comparative morphology, hypotheses on their phylogenetic relationships, data on natural history and a detailed historical revision of the classification of 'Canthon sensu lato'. Finally, we also discuss the socalled 'species problem' (i.e., the definition of the scientific term 'species') and its consequences to dung beetle taxonomy and favour the solution offered by the Biological Species Concept.
The Neotropical D. agenor species group of the subgenus Luederwaldtinia Martínez, 1951 is taxonomically reviewed. After examination of specimens in collections, the D. agenor species group will consist of seventeen species, a leap from the former nine species: D. agenor (Harold, 1869), D. amplicollis (Harold, 1869), D. belus (Harold, 1880), D. centralis (Harold, 1869), D. deyrollei (Harold, 1869), D. sagittarius (Harold, 1869) stat. rev., D. tristis (Luederwaldt, 1923), D. triquetrus (Luederwaldt, 1923), D. validipilosus (Luederwaldt, 1931), D. fornicatus (Luederwaldt, 1931) [transferred to D. lucasi species group and to which D. bosqi (Pereira, 1941) is considered to be a new synonym], D. inachoides (Felsche, 1901) [transferred from the group fisus (Selenocopris)], D. simplicicornis (Luederwaldt, 1935) [transferred from the group fisus (Selenocopris)], D. subaeneus (Castelnau, 1840) [transferred from the D. carbonarius species group], D. rafanunezi sp. nov. from Mato Grosso, D. henripittieri sp. nov. from Venezuela and D. enioi sp. nov. from Guatemala and Costa Rica. This review was based on external morphology and characters of the male genitalia (aedeagus and internal sac). Descriptions of new species and redescriptions were made after examining the type-specimens of the already described species. Lectotype designations, species revalidations, redescriptions and new species descriptions are provided.
The gigas species group of the subgenus Canthidium (Neocanthidium) is defi ned and described. This species group is composed of three described species [C. gigas Balthasar, 1939, Brazilian Atlantic Forest, including intrusions into Cerrado, C. bokermanni (Martínez et al., 1964), Chaco and western Cerrado in Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina, and C. kelleri (Martínez et al., 1964), Brazilian Cerrado and neighbouring open areas] and three new species: Canthidium stofeli sp. nov. from the western and southern regions of the Brazilian Amazon, Canthidium feeri sp. nov. from French Guiana, and Canthidium ayri sp. nov. from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. We present descriptions and redescriptions, illustrations, an identifi cation key and comments on the distributions of the species of the gigas group.
Canthon (Peltecanthon) is revised in this work. The subgenus now includes four species: C. (P.) staigi (Pereira, 1953), C. (P.) haroldi nom. nov., C. (P.) splendidus Schmidt, 1922 and C. (P.) terciae sp. nov. All species occur in the Atlantic Forest. Maps, natural history information, specimen data and illustrations are provided.
The taxonomy of the American Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 included in the “hirculus” group is revised, and a study of their morphology allows for the delineation of five species-complexes. Herein, we provide a diagnosis of the “hirculus” group, an illustrated key to the complexes, along with a descriptive overview of their taxonomy and geographic distribution. Onthophagus hirculus Mannerheim, 1829 is considered to be a junior synonym of O. hircus Billberg, 1815, which is here demonstrated to be a valid species name. Thus, the “hirculus” group is here renamed the “hircus” group. Furthermore, a general scheme of the genital organs of American Onthophagus is provided, including names of different anatomical parts and a brief discussion on the need for nomenclatural stability for the genitalia of scarab beetles.
This is the first part of a revision of the type specimens of the South American Sericini. Herein, we examine type specimens of Astaena described by Lawrence Webster Saylor (1913–1999). We provide diagnostic redescriptions, images of habitus, aedeagus, and labels of the type specimens of all 18 species described by him in the genus Astaena. We raise Sayloria Frey, 1973, a former subgenus of Symmela Erichson, 1835 that includes three species, to genus level. Our study results in the following new combinations and synonymy: Sayloria bicoloripes (Saylor, 1946) comb. nov. (= A. postnodata Frey, 1973 syn. nov.), S. abcora (Saylor, 1946) comb. nov. (= A. apolinarmaria Saylor, 1946 syn. nov.) and S. pottsi (Saylor, 1946) comb. nov.
