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Ataenius Harold, 1867
Ataenius Harold, 1867: 82.
Ataenius chilensis (Solier)
Photo by Paul Skelley.
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| Aphodiinae Overview | ||
| Eupariini Key |
Type species: Ataenius scutellaris Harold, 1867 by subsequent designation (Chapin 1940).
Synonyms: Aphodinus Motschulsky, 1862: 55; type species: Aphodius castanicolor Motschulsky, 1858 by subsequent designation (Dellacasa et al. 2001). Hexalus Mulsant and Rey, 1870: 200; type species: Hexalus simplicipes Mulsant and Rey, 1870 by monotypy. Pseudammoecius Schmidt, 1913: 160; type species: Aphodius australasiae Boheman, 1858 by monotypy. Placopterus Chalumeau, 1983: 144; type species: Ataenius tuberculatus Schmidt 1911 by monotypy.
Diagnosis: Within the Eupariini, Ataenius is highly variable and best defined by characters it lacks. It is the central core of taxa from which other genera have been recognized. Members are solid black to reddish
brown, head usually with weak transverse wrinkles, clypeus dentate or not, tibia usually only moderately widened at apex, and pygidium with apical half eroded.
Remarks: This highly diverse genus contains nearly 200 species in the New World. Stebnicka is actively revising New World members of Ataenius and has several papers yet to finish before the fauna is completely covered. Several members of the southern South America fauna have been included in these revisions, while others remain to be revised.
References:
Chapin, E.A. (1940) A revision of the West Indian beetles of the scarabaeid subfamily Aphodiinae. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, 89, 1–41.
Excerpt from: Smith, A. B. T. and P. E. Skelley. 2007. A review of the Aphodiinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of southern South America. Zootaxa 1458: 1-80.
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| Authors: Andrew Smith ( Canadian Museum of Nature) and Paul Skelley (Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services). Generated on: 08/JAN/08.....Last modified: 08/JAN/08 University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology |