Odontolomini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz, 2019

Davis, Adrian L. V., Deschodt, Christian M. & Scholtz, Clarke H., 2019, Defining new dung beetle tribes to resolve discrepancies between phylogeny and tribal classification in the subfamily Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Zootaxa 4608 (1), pp. 131-144 : 136

Tribe Odontolomini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz , new tribe

Type genus. Odontoloma Boheman, 1857 , here designated ( Figs. 2 , 5 ).

Head. Clypeus with a small median tooth flanked by two others; frons and vertex without horns; antenna nine segmented.

Pronotum. More or less flat dorsally; strongly curving downward both anteriorly and laterally; anterio-lateral margins often explanate.

Elytra. Seventh stria or eighth interstria interval partly carinate anteriorly; inflexed pseudepipleuron, epipleuron narrow; metathoracic wings well developed to greatly reduced.

Sterna. Prosternum fairly well developed; metasternum mostly with clear punctures; sutures clearly visible.

Protibia. Front tibia truncate and obtuse, widening apically with three teeth on outside margin.

Meso- and metatibia. Widening apically, with setae.

Pygidium. Basal transverse groove or depression present, groove terminating in a fovea on each side near margin.

Aedeagus. Parameres symmetrical and short.

Body size. All species are small, less than 5 mm in length with some size variation observed within species.

Diagnosis and known distribution. Body oval and moderately convex; black; densely punctate with scattered semi-erect setae; clypeus five-dentate; all tibiae widening anteriorly, anterior tibiae with three denticles, truncated and obtuse. Widespread in the Afrotropical region but with a strong bias in species diversity centred on southern Africa.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Odontoloma pauxillum (Boheman, 1857), type species of the type genus of the tribe Odontolomini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz, new tribe.

FIGURE 5. Map showing the distribution of known species in the tribe, Odontolomini Davis, Deschodt & Scholtz, new tribe.