DYNASTINAE, MacLeay, 1819

Peck, Stewart B., 2011, The beetles of Martinique, Lesser Antilles (Insecta: Coleoptera); diversity and distributions, Insecta Mundi 2011 (178), pp. 1-57 : 17-19

SUBFAMILY DYNASTINAE

TRIBE CYCLOCEPHALINI

Chalepides barbatus barbatus (Fabricius) 1787: 10 ( Scarabaeus ); Blackwelder 1944-1957: 253; Paulian 1947a: 73 ( Chalepus ); Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 590 (suggesting labeling error); Chalumeau 1982a: 343, 1983a: 216; Endrödi 1985: 172; Audreau: 2001: 426. Distribution. Barbados, Cuba, Guadeloupe (Paulian, 1947), Hispaniola, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Barthélemy, St. Croix, St. Lucia, St. Martin. Other subspecies are from Guatemala to Argentina; widespread Antilles and Latin America . Notes. Introduced to lower Lesser Antilles according to Chalumeau 1983a 216. Some records are placed in Chalepus MacLeay 1819: 149 (Scarabaeidae) which is preoccupied by Chalepus Thunberg 1805: 282 (Chrysomelidae) . Wolcott 1950: 263 discusses the natural history of this detritus feeding non-economic beetle in Puerto Rico.

Cyclocephala melanocephala (Fabricius) 1775: 36 ( Melolontha ); C. m. rubiginosa Burmeister 1847: 59; Paulian 1947a: 71; Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 584; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 25; Chalumeau 1978: 43, 1982a: 337, 1983a: 145; Endrödi 1985: 103; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 12. = Cyclocephala dimidiata Burmeister 1847: 57 ; Blackwelder 1944-1957: 251 of Grenada. Distribution. Localities for the subspecies C. m. rubiginosa: Dominica, Guadeloupe, Les Saintes, Marie-Galante, Martinique. The Grenada record may be a South American subspecies. The species ranges from the Lesser Antilles to Brazil and Argentina; Lesser Antilles and Latin America .

Cyclocephala tridentata (Fabricius) 1801: 170 ( Melolontha ); Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 401; Paulian 1947a: 68; Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 587; Chalumeau 1978: 44, 1982a: 337, 1983a: 149; Endrödi 1985: 99; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 12. Distribution. Barbados, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia; Dominica (C. t. dominicensis Cartwright and Chalumeau in Chalumeau 1977a: 135; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 250; Chalumeau 1983a: 151; not Dominican [Domineekan] Republic. Colombia, Surinam; Lesser Antilles and Latin America .

TRIBE DYNASTINI

Dynastes hercules (Linnaeus) 1758: 345 ( Scarabaeus ); Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 402; Paulian 1947a: 80; Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 597; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 21; Chalumeau 1983a: 162; Chalumeau and Reid 2002. = Dynastes lagaii Verrill 1906: 318 of Dominica. = Dynastes vulcan Verrill 1906: 319 of Dominica. Distribution. Dominica and Guadeloupe (type locality) for the nominate subspecies. The subspecies D. h. alcides (Olivier) 1789: 7 [= D. h. reidi Chalumeau 1977: 237; = D baudrii Pinchon 1976 (nomen nudum)] is of Martinique and of St. Lucia. The full range of the species, with nine subspecies, includes these islands and from Mexico to Panama, and throughout northern South America to Bolivia and Brazil ( Chalumeau and Reid 2002; Silvestre 1996); Lesser Antilles and Latin America . It is seemingly absent on St. Vincent and Grenada. Notes. Gruner and Chalumeau (1977) summarize the biology of the species in Guadeloupe. Adults are attracted to lights, even during nights of full moon; larvae found in decaying trees. In contrast to the nominal subspecies of Guadeloupe, D. h. alcides is rather uncommon. Rather common, and the largest beetle species in the Lesser Antilles. The polymorphism in the male horns led to several names being applied to this species. The species is protected by law in Martinique and Guadeloupe. Notes. Fortuné Chalumeau (pers. comm., December, 2010) now recognizes D. alcides as a full and valid species, although this is not generally accepted. Lauchaume (1985) examined the type of D. alcides and found it to be conspecific with D. h. hercules , the type locality for which is Guadeloupe.

TRIBE ORYCTINI

Tomarus cuniculus (Fabricius) 1801: 20 ( Geotrupes ); Paulian 1947a: 76 ( Ligyrus ); Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 591; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 27; Chalumeau 1978: 44, 1983a: 154; Cooter 1983: 185; Bennett and Alam 1985: 22; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 12; Valentine and Ivie 2005: 276; Ivie et al. 2008b: 245 ( Ligyrus ); Turnbow and Thomas 2008: 49. = Ligyrus antillarum Palisot de Beauvois 1805: 104 , Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 402 of Guadeloupe. = Ligyrus tumulosus Burmeister, Ramos 1946: 41 of Mona; Uyttenboogaart 1902: 116 of Barbados. Distribution. Anguilla, Antigua, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Cuba, Désirade, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Guana, Hispaniola, Les Saintes, Jamaica, Marie-Galante, Martinique, Mona, Montserrat, Nevis, Puerto Rico, St. Barthélemy, St. Croix, St. John, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. Vincent. United States to Trinidad, French Guiana, Brazil; widespread New World. Notes. Adults attracted to lights; larvae a serious pest of roots of sugar cane, or may be saprophagous or coprophagous where sugar cane is absent.

Tomarus ebenus (DeGeer) 1774: 317 ( Scarabaeus ); Paulian 1947a: 76 ( Ligyrus ); Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 592; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 26; Chalumeau 1978: 44, 1983a: 156; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 12. = Ligyrus cordatus Fabricius 1792: 31 ; Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 402 of Guadeloupe. Distribution. Dominica, Guadeloupe, Hispaniola, Marie-Galante, Martinique, St. Lucia, St. Martin. Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Surinam, Brazil; widespread Antilles and Latin America . Notes. Adults attracted to lights; larvae feed on small tubers of Dioscoreaceae and Convolvulaceae and may damage gardens.

TRIBE PHILEURINI

Phileurus didymus (Linnaeus) 1758: 347 ( Scarabaeus ); Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 600; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 27; Chalumeau 1983a: 169; Woodruff et al. 1998: 34. Distribution. Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Puerto Rico, St. Vincent. Mexico to Colombia, Venezuela, Trinidad to Brazil; widespread Antilles and Latin America . Notes. Adults attracted to lights; larvae found in decaying palm trees.

Phileurus valgus Linnaeus 1758: 347 ; Fleutiaux and Sallé 1890: 403; Ratcliffe 1988: 52. = Phileurus castaneus antillarum Prell 1912: 179 , Paulian 1947a: 82; Ivie et al. 2008b: 245. = P. valgus antillarum Prell 1912: 179 ; Chalumeau and Gruner 1977: 599; Cartwright and Chalumeau 1978: 27; Chalumeau 1983a: 168 of Guadeloupe, of Dominica, and of Martinique; Marquet and Roguet 2003: 12; Turnbow and Thomas 2008: 49. = P. valgus capra Bates 1889: 341 of Guadeloupe, of Martinique, of St. Martin, and of St. Barthélemy in Endrödi 1985: 726. Distribution. Bahamas, Barbados, Cuba, Désirade, Dominica, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, Martinique, Montserrat, Puerto Rico, St. Barthélemy, St. Croix, St. Martin, St. Vincent. Venezuela. The nominate subspecies is widespread in eastern USA and Central and South America to Argentina; widespread New World. Notes. Adults are attracted to lights; adults and larvae are collected in various decaying logs.