Towards a revision of Scotobiini Solier. 1838 (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)

SILVESTRO, V.A. Y G.E. FLORES

Tempe, Arizona

Simposio; III International Tenebrionoidea Symposium; 2013

Arizona State University

Scotobiini was created by Solier in 1838 including the genera: Scotobius, Ammophorus , Leptynoderes ,Gonogenius (then synonymous of Scotobius ), and Diastoleus. Posteriorly Blanchard (1842) added Emmallodera. Lacordaire (1859) transferred Ammophorus to Nyctoporini and added Psammetichus to Scotobiini. The only review of the tribe was made by Kulzer (1955) which added another genus: Pseudoscotobius. Marcuzzi (1976) synonymized Pseudoscotobius with P hrynocarenum (Phrynocarenini). Recently Doyen (1993) added Ammophorus again to the tribe based on a synapomorphy: the presence on the truncate apex of the last antennomere of clusters on dome-shaped sensorial placoid. Scotobiini today contains five genera and 110 species/subspecies: Scotobius Germar, with 61 species and seven subspecies, Emmallodera Blanchard with 13 species and three subspecies, Leptynoderes with five species, Diastoleus with three species and Ammophorus with 15 species and three subspecies. Scotobiini is endemic of South America mainly in arid lands south of the parallel 20 South, including arid areas further north such as the Peruvian coastal desert and ranges, Bolivian plateau, and Galápagos islands, as well as south-eastern Brazil. Scotobiini are abundant in arid enviroments, have adaptations to live in those climates, such as the absence of the second pair of wings, strong joints between the elytra and the abdominal sternites and develop a subelytral cavity to help prevent water loss. We propose to revise the tribe Scotobiini on the basis of external morphology and new characters such us the antennomere sensorial placoid, abdominal defensive glands, internal skeletal anatomy and genitalia which have higher taxonomic value. In order to redefine the tribe and which genera are included.