Codocera Eschscholtz 1821: 398

Paulsen, M. J., 2007, Nomenclatural changes in the Nearctic Ochodaeinae and description of two new genera (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ochodaeidae), Insecta Mundi 2007 (21), pp. 1-13 : 8

Codocera Eschscholtz 1821: 398

Remarks. Scholtz et al. (1988) revised the genera of Ochodaeidae and removed Codocera Eschscholtz (not Cadocera as frequently misspelled; see Harpootlian 2001) from synonymy with Ochodaeus . López- Colón et al. (2006) listed two Palearctic species. Species of Codocera lack propygidial modifications as do Ochodaeus spp. , but possess a plate-like, ventrally produced mentum in males and strongly projecting mandibles. Based on these characters, one Nearctic species ( O. gnatho Fall ) is transferred to Codocera resulting in C. gnatho , new combination. In addition to the strongly produced mentum, C. gnatho shares with the Palearctic C. ferruginea (Eschscholtz) an anterior clypeal tubercle that is present in the female but sometimes contiguous with the anterior margin in the male, and a less compact antennal club. In species of Codocera the antenna consists of ten antennomeres, and the stridulatory peg near the propygidium is present.

Based on the current usage of both C. ferrugineum and C. ferruginea , some confusion appears to exist about the correct gender of the name Codocera . Eschscholtz (1818) originally described the species as Lethrus ferrugineus , gender masculine. Subsequently, when creating Codocera, Eschscholtz (1821) clearly treated the generic name as neutral in gender by placing it in combination with ‘ ferrugineum ’. However, the ICZN Code (ICZN 1999) lists the suffix “- cera ” (horn) as feminine, thus the correct combination for the type species is C. ferruginea . The name gnatho (jaw) is assumed to be a noun in apposition, and therefore remains unchanged regardless of the gender of the generic name with which it is combined.

Codocera gnatho is reported from Arizona and New Mexico ( Fall 1909) and Texas ( Riley and Wolfe 2003), and specimens were also examined from southern California and Durango, Mexico .