Rutelini, MacLeay, 1819

Paucar-Cabrera, Aura, 2005, A catalog and distributional analysis of the Rutelinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Ecuador, Zootaxa 948 (1), pp. 1-92 : 60-61

Tribe Rutelini

( Figs 5 , 11 , 16 ; Tables 5, 7)

The tribe Rutelini is found worldwide but is most speciose in the Neotropics. The tribe includes over 70 genera in the New World ( Jameson 1998b). In Ecuador, the Rutelini is the most diverse tribe and includes 42 genera with 168 species (145 identified and 23 unidentified species) (see species treatments and Table 5). Species of Rutelini are distributed in all seven zoogeographical zones, and they can be found at elevations ranging from sea level to 3200 m ( Fig. 11 ). Their highest diversity is found in the tropical northwest and tropical east zones ( Table 5), and the group reaches its highest diversity between sea level and 1000 m. Species found over 3000 m are: Chlorota vitrina Waterhouse , Pelidnota prasina Burmeister , P. pubes , Thyriochlorota flavofemorata (Kirsch) , T. jordani , and T. pilosula (Waterhouse) . Pelidnota prasina is widely distributed from the high Andes to the eastern lowlands, while the two latter species are restricted to the high Andes zone. In Ecuador, the most speciose genera are Anticheira , Chasmodia , Macraspis , Pelidnota , and Ptenomela .

Rutelini includes 64 species endemic to Ecuador (38 % of the Rutelini ). Thirty­five endemic species are restricted to one zoogeographic zone ( Table 5). One endemic species, Promacropoides bertrandi Sigwalt , is the only member of the subtribe Heterosternina in South America . This species is restricted to northeastern Cañar province (tropical southwest).

The temporal distribution of Rutelini species is not well known. Based on label data, adult activity increased in relation to rainfall. Rutelini species have three peaks of annual abundance: one during March, another during June and the other from October to November ( Fig. 5 , Table 7).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Habitus of Promacropoides bertrandi Sigwalt.

FIGURES 2–7. Histograms of temporal distribution of tribe species throughout a year: 2) Anomalini; 3) Anoplognathini; 4) Geniatini; 5) Rutelini; 6) Spodochlamyini. 7) Histogram of temporal distribution of Rutelinae species throughout a year.

FIGURES 10–11. Distribution of species of: 10) Geniatini; 11) Rutelini.