Parataenius Balthasar, 1961
Parataenius Balthasar, 1961: 121.

Parataenius simulator (Harold) Photo by Paul Skelley.

Type species. Parataenius mirabilis Balthasar 1961: 121, by monotypy (= Aphodius derbesis Solier 1851: 72).
               = Brancoataenius Paulian 1979: 66. Type species:
               Brancoataenius lusitanicus Paulian 1979: 66, by original
               designation.

Diagnosis. Body length 4.0-5.5 mm, elongate, weakly robust, reddish-brown to black. Head strongly transversely wrinkled. Pronotum with lateral fringe of long, often scale-like setae. Mesotibia rapidly dilating near apex, apical width equal 1/3 or more of tibial length. Basal mesotarsal segment shorter than long tibial spur. Metafemur nearly as large as profemur. Revised by Stebnicka and Skelley (2009).

Distribution. Southeastern USA to S.America and West Indies, introduced into Portugal, Australia, Africa, and New Zealand.

Life History. Adults of P. simulator are commonly collected at light. Adults of P. derbesis have been collected in numbers from guanaco dung.

Larvae. The larva of P. simulator is described in Verdú and Gallante (1999) and Jerath (1960, as Ataenius schwarzi).

References:
Chalumeau, F. 1992. Eupariini du nouveau monde: un mise au point (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) (1re partie). Nouvelle Revue d'Entomologie 9(3): 189‑206.
Jerath, M. L. 1960. Notes on larvae of nine genera of Aphodiinae in the United States. Proceedings of the United States National Museum, Washington 111(3425): 43-94.
Smith, A. B. T., and P. E. Skelley. 2007. A review of the Aphodiinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of southern South America. Zootaxa 1458: 1-80. [http://unsm-ento.unl.edu/platycoeliams.htm]
Stebnicka, Z.T. and P.E. Skelley. 2009.Taxonomic redefinition of the genera Parataenius Balthasar and Pseudataenius Brown, with descriptions of three new species (Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Eupariini) Insecta Mundi 0066: 1-18. 
Verdú, J. R., and E. Galante. 1999. Larvae of Ataenius (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae): generic characteristics and species Descriptions. European Journal of Entomology 96(1): 57‑68.