Liothorax Motschulsky 1859
Liothorax Motschulsky 1859: 156.

Liothorax alternatus (Horn) Photo by P. Skelley.

Type species. Scarabaeus plagiatus Linnaeus 1767: 559, by subsequent designation.

Diagnosis. Body length 3.9-6.9 mm, elongate, parallel-sided, somewhat flattened; black with elytra entirely black or variably striped with yellowish-brown. Head lacking tubercles. Clypeus lacking teeth, fringe of setae and transverse ridge. Pronotum lacking marginal fringe of setae; base with marginal line. Scutellum weakly converging toward base, often appearing triangular. Elytral humerus lacking tooth, intervals convex and distinctly punctate. Metatibial apical spinules short, equal in length.

Distribution. Palearctic and western North America to Mexico.

Composition. Worldwide, Liothorax contains 10 species, 5 of which occur in the New World.

Liothorax alternatus (Horn 1870: 129) [Aphodius], BC-Canada, central-W-USA, Mexico?
                  = Aphodius inermis Robinson 1940: 147.
                  = Aphodius moclipsi Hatch 1971: 457.
Liothorax consociatus (Horn 1887: 21) [Aphodius], CA-USA.
Liothorax innexus (Say 1835: 177) [Aphodius], Mexico.
                  = Aphodius flavocintus Harold 1860: 614.
Liothorax levatus (Schmidt 1907: 568) [Aphodius], Mexico.
                  = Aphodius nigroclavus Hinton 1934: 188.
 Liothorax subaeneus (LeConte 1857: 41) [Aphodius], CA-USA.
                  = Aphodius gentneri Hatch 1971: 457.
                  = Aphodius perpolitus Gordon 1973: 439.

Life History. New World species appear to prefer habitats like marshes, edges of temporary ponds, etc., with moist, organically rich soils.