Bothynus Hope, 1837

Bothynus Hope, 1837: 95 . Type species: Bothynus ascanius Kirby 1819: 399 . Cratocnemis Blanchard, 1842: plate II. Type species: Cratocnemis niger Blanchard, 1842 . Scaptophilus Burmeister, 1847: 122 . Type species: not designated.

Corynoscelis Burmeister, 1847: 126 . Type species: not designated.

Diagnosis. This genus can be differentiated from other Pentodontini by having a triangular clypeus that is strongly narrowed towards the apex; mandibles tridentate, with sharp, triangular teeth; apical pronotal fovea deep and wide (transverse diameter wider than head width), except for females of some species that have a smaller fovea. The spiculum gastrale bears basal plates not found in any other genus.

Distribution. Bothynus currently includes 26 species distributed in Central and South America, of which only three are in Colombia. Formerly, Endrödi (1985) reported Bothynus medon (Germar, 1824) in Colombia, but we have no current records, and its distribution is more southerly in Brazil and Argentina.