Review of the Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Sri Lanka, with description of a new species of genus Orphnus Macleay, 1819

The scarab beetles of the subfamily Orphninae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from Sri Lanka are reviewed. Four species of the genus Orphnus Macleay, 1819, are recorded from the island: O. bicolor (Fabricius, 1801), O. parvus (Wiedemann, 1823), O. mysoriensis Westwood, 1845, and O. medvedevi sp. nov. Lectotypes are designated for the three former names. Synonymy of O. detegens Walker, 1859, and O. scitissimus Walker, 1859, is discussed. Keys, illustrations of habitus and male genitalia, and distributional record maps are given for all species.

A review of scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) diversity in India

The diversified geographic location along with climatic conditions has led to the enrichment of fauna species in India. Coleoptera (Gk. Coleos–sheath, ptera–wing) are the largest group of organisms at the order level and are comprised of beetles. They adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions and are widely distributed. The family Scarabaeidae which is included in the superfamily Scarabaeoidea is one of the largest families. They consist of about 27,800 species worldwide and are further divided into 16 subfamilies, 82 tribes and 94 sub-tribes. They are usually harmful or beneficial in nature with their size being large to small. The research on scarab beetles is necessary to understand their role as pest as well as their adaptation to different anthropogenic activities. Also, the diversified population of scarab beetles along with their similar characters makes it hard for researchers to identify them often leading to misidentification which is why a review is needed. This review summarizes the status, diversity and ecological status of scarab beetles in India.

Some new records of scarab beetles of the genus Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) from northern Western Ghats, Maharashtra, with a checklist

The present paper presents two new records of the species, viz., Onthophagus (Onthophagus) madoqua Arrow, 1931; and Onthophagus (Gibbonthophagus) duporti Boucomont, 1914 with a checklist of the genus Onthophagus Latreille, 1802 from Maharashtra.

Wing serial homologues and the diversification of insect outgrowths: insights from the pupae of scarab beetles

Modification of serially homologous structures is a common avenue towards functional innovation in developmental evolution, yet ancestral affinities among serial homologues may be obscured as structure-specific modifications accumulate over time. We sought to assess the degree of homology to wings of three types of body wall projections commonly observed in scarab beetles: (i) the dorsomedial support structures found on the second and third thoracic segments of pupae, (ii) the abdominal support structures found bilaterally in most abdominal segments of pupae, and (iii) the prothoracic horns which depending on species and sex may be restricted to pupae or also found in adults. We functionally investigated 14 genes within, as well as two genes outside, the canonical wing gene regulatory network to compare and contrast their role in the formation of each of the three presumed wing serial homologues. We found 11 of 14 wing genes to be functionally required for the proper formation of lateral and dorsal support structures, respectively, and nine for the formation of prothoracic horns. At the same time, we document multiple instances of divergence in gene function across our focal structures. Collectively, our results support the hypothesis that dorsal and lateral support structures as well as prothoracic horns share a developmental origin with insect wings. Our findings suggest that the morphological and underlying gene regulatory diversification of wing serial homologues across species, life stages and segments has contributed significantly to the extraordinary diversity of arthropod appendages and outgrowths.

TWO NEW SPECIES AND A NEW RECORD OF SPATULAPHORUS (ACARI: PYGMEPHORIDAE) PHORETIC ON SCARAB BEETLES (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEIDAE) FROM FRENCH GUIANA

Two new species, Spatulaphorus dignus sp. n. and S. porosus sp. n. (Acari: Pygmephoridae), collected from scarab beetles Oxysternon durantoni and Coprophanaeus jasius, respectively, are described from French Guiana. Spatulaphorus brasiliensis Khaustov and Frolov, collected from the beetle Dichotomius borreus, is recorded from French Guiana for the first time. A key to the world species of the genus Spatulaphorus is also provided.

New and interesting findings of scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) from Tajikistan

We report on new findings of nearly 50 species that represent four families of the superfamily Scarabaeoidea, which were collected during an expedition to western Tajikistan that was carried out in June and July 2014. Rhyssemodes transcaspicus Rakovič, 1982 is recorded from the country for the first time. Moreover, we describe and illustrate the differences in the external morphology between Euonthophagus gibbosus (Scriba, 1790) and E. koshantschikoffi (Reitter, 1891), the latter of which has a doubtful systematic position. In the collected material of approximately 1,000 specimens, more than 90% of the species and 95% of the individuals belong to the family Scarabaeidae. The other species represent the families Geotrupidae, Glaphyridae, and Hybosoridae.