 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
Melinopterus Mulsant 1842
Melinopterus Mulsant 1842: 282.
Photo by P. Skelley.
|
||
|
||
| Aphodiinae Overview | ||
| Aphodiini Key |
Type species. Scarabaeus prodromus Brahm 1790: 3, by subsequent designation.
Diagnosis. Body length 4.5-7.6 mm, elongate, somewhat flattened, black, elytra yellow-brown with variable dark maculations. Head smooth, lacking tubercles. Clypeus lacking teeth, weakly emarginate at middle, broadly rounded each side of median emargination, lacking fringe of setae. Head, pronotum and often elytra are sexually dimorphic. Pronotum lacking lateral setal fringe; with marginal line at base. Elytra lacking humeral tooth; intervals convex, often bearing setae. Metatibial apical spinules long and alternately unequal.
Distribution. Holarctic.
Composition. Worldwide, Melinopterus contains approximately 20 species, 3 of which occur in the New World.
Melinopterus (s.l.) consentaneus (LeConte 1850: 225) [Aphodius], W-Canada, NW-USA, Mexico?
Melinopterus femoralis (Say 1823: 215) [Aphodius], E-USA, SE-Canada.
Melinopterus prodromus (Brahm 1790: 3) [Scarabaeus], Palearctic, E. N.Amer., Guatemala (introduced).
= Aphodius abscurus Eichler 1922: 67.
= Aphodius angustatus Mulsant 1842: 284.
= Aphodius discoidalis Gistel 1857: 589.
= Aphodius flavogriseus Mulsant 1842: 284.
= Aphodius gisteli Strand 1917: 95.
= Aphodius griseolus Mulsant 1842: 284.
= Aphodius griseus Dalla Torre 1879: 109.
= Aphodius lunulatus Eichler 1922 : 67.
= Aphodius mulsanti Orbigny 1896: 233.
= Aphodius obliquus Mulsant 1842 : 285.
= Aphodius rapax Faldermann 1835: 256.
= Aphodius restrictus Mulsant 1842 : 284.
= Aphodius semilunus Mulsant 1842 : 285.
= Aphodius semipellitus Solsky 1876 : 235.
= Aphodius syriacus Mulsant and Rey 1870 : 220.
= Aphodius weberi Reitter 1906 : 436.
Life History. Members of Melinopterus appear to be surface dung generalists as adults.
Larvae. The larva of M. prodromus is described in Ritcher (1966).
Status of Classification. Variability and sexual dimorphism of this genus causes confusion in identification of these species, as well as those of other genera (primarily Flaviellus and females of Drepanocanthoides).
References:
Gordon, R. D., and P. E. Skelley. 2007. A monograph of the Aphodiini inhabiting the United States and Canada (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae). Memoirs of the American Entomological Institute 79: 580 pp.
Ritcher, P.O. 1966. White grubs and their allies: A study of North American scarabaeoid larvae. Oregon State University Press, Corvallis, Oregon. Studies in Entomology 4: 219 pp.
|
||||
| Author: Paul Skelley Generated on: 01/MAY/08.....Last modified: 01/MAY/08 University of Nebraska State Museum - Division of Entomology |