SCARABAEINAE, Latreille, 1802

Peck, Stewart B., 2011, The beetles of Martinique, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera); diversity and distributions, Insecta Mundi 2011 (178), pp. 1-57 : 16

SUBFAMILY SCARABAEINAE

TRIBE ATEUCHINI

Ateuchus illaesum (Harold) 1868: 53 ( Choeridium ); Leng and Mutchler 1914: 438; Blackwelder 1944- 1957: 204; Matthews 1966: 46; Chalumeau and Gruner 1974: 789; Chalumeau 1983a: 48; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 11. = Choeridium insulare Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 395 of Guadeloupe; Leng and Mutchler 1914: 438, 1917: 207; Paulian 1947a: 31; Matthews 1966: 46 (synonymy); Chalumeau 1983a: 49 (recognized as a valid species of Guadeloupe); Ivie et al. 2008b: 244. Distribution. Carriacou, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Montserrat, Mustique, St. Kitts, St. Vincent. Mexico (type locality), Colombia; Lesser Antilles and Latin America . Notes. Found in open lowland pastures and in lowland xerophytic forest.

TRIBE ONTHOPHAGINI

Digitonthophagus gazella (Fabricius) 1787: 377 ( Scarabaeus ); Huchet 1992: 298; Touroult 2005: 85; Ivie and Philips 2008: 10; Ivie et al. 2008b: 244. Distribution. Anguilla (2004), Antigua, Guadeloupe (Basse-Terre, 1992), Hispaniola, Jamaica, Marie-Galante (1992), Martinique (first Lesser Antilles report in Huchet 1992), Montserrat (2000), Puerto Rico, St. Croix, St. Kitts (2003), St. Vincent, Union; introduced to Lesser Antilles. The species is native to much of the hotter and drier parts of Africa, and ranges into Madagascar, Asia Minor, India, and Ceylon. Introduced to the New World via Texas in 1972. By 1977 it was distributed from California to Florida, south to Mexico and Guatemala ( Hoebeke and Beucke 1997) and is expanding its range in the Caribbean ( Ivie and Philips 2008; dates above are year of first island records). Notes. Introduced to Texas to speed the removal of livestock dung in pastures. It has a rapid reproduction rate and high mobility. It may be a threat to the native dung beetles of the West Indies ( Ivie and Philips 2008). This is a species of open habitats so it may not directly compete with the native dung scarabs which are mostly inhabitants of forested or shady habitats, and have different dung preferences.

Onthophagus antillarum Arrow 1903: 510 ; Blackwelder 1944-1957: 211; Paulian 1947a: 35; Matthews 1966: 17; Chalumeau and Gruner 1974: 792; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 5; Chalumeau 1983a: 52; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 11. = Onthophagus femoralis Kirsch 1870: 362 ; Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 395 (misidentification); Leng and Mutchler 1914: 438; Blackwelder 1944-1957: 211. Distribution. Bequia, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Vincent (type locality); Lesser Antilles endemic. Notes. Collected in cow and human dung in forests up to 800 m.

Onthophagus batesi Howden and Cartwright 1963: 21 ; Matthews 1966: 21; Chalumeau and Gruner 1974: 793; Chalumeau 1983a: 53; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 11. Distribution. Martinique (introduced). USA (extreme south TX), Mexico to Panama; introduced to Lesser Antilles; native to mainland Neotropics.

Onthophagus bituberculatus (Olivier) 1789: 131 ( Scarabaeus ); Matthews 1966: 23; Chalumeau and Gruner 1974: 793; Chalumeau 1983a: 53; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 11. Distribution. Martinique (introduced, and now the most common Onthophagus on the island); introduced to Lesser Antilles; native to West Africa (from Congo to Senegal), Sudan, Egypt, Arabia.