A revision of the Chilean tribe Lichniini Burmeister, 1844 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

Abstract

The tribe Lichniini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), which includes two genera and six species, is revised. A key to species, descriptions of genera and species, a checklist, distributional and temporal data, and designation of lectotypes and neotypes are given. The genus Lichnia Erichson, 1835 includes two species: L. gallardoi Gutiérrez, 1941 and L. limbata Erichson, 1835 (lectotype designated). The genus Arctodium Burmeister, 1844 includes four species: A. discolor (Erichson, 1835) (neotype designated), A. mahdii new species, A. planum (Blanchard, 1850) (lectotype designated), and A. vulpinum (Erichson, 1835) (lectotype designated). The following nomenclatural changes are made: Lichniini is transferred from Glaphyridae to Melolonthinae (Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae) and the spelling is emended from “Lichnini” to “Lichniini”; Dasychaeta Erichson, 1847 is a new junior synonym of Lichnia; Dasychaeta lateralis Erichson, 1847 (neotype designated) is a new junior synonym of L. limbata; Lichnia porteri Gutiérrez, 1941 (neotype designated) is a new junior synonym of L. gallardoi; Cratoscelis aterrima Blanchard, 1850 (lectotype designated) is a new junior synonym of A. vulpinum; Cratoscelis canicapilla Philippi & Philippi, 1864 (lectotype designated) is a new junior synonym of A. planum; Cratoscelis gayana Blanchard, 1850 (lectotype designated) is a new junior synonym of A. vulpinum; Cratoscelis striolata Redtenbacher, 1868 (lectotype designated) is a new junior synonym of A. vulpinum; Cratoscelis villosa Blanchard, 1850 (lectotype designated) is a new junior synonym of A. vulpinum; and Cratoscelis Erichson, 1835 is a junior homonym of Cratoscelis Lucas, 1834 (Araneae: Sicariidae) and a synonym of Arctodium Burmeister, 1844.

Validación de la familia Melolonthidae Leach, 1819 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea)

“…En Ochodaeidae Mulsant & Rey, 1871 la presencia del espolón pectinado en la mesotibia es un caracter único entre los grupos de la superfamilia y ayuda a establecer la monofilia de la familia (d 'Hotman & Scholtz 1990, Scholtz 1990, Scholtz & Chown 1995, Carlson 2002a. La posición taxonómica de los Glaphyridae MacLeay 1819, ha sido tema de discusión durante mucho tiempo (Crowson 1955, Machatschke 1959, Ritcher 1969, Medvedev 1976, Iablokoff-Khnzorian 1977, Scholtz 1990, Carlson 2002b, Hawkins 2006, pero en el trabajo de filogenia molecular de Scarabaeoidea (Smith et al 2006) se le confirmó como una familia independiente, concordando con los trabajos de genitalia masculina de Scarabaeoidea realizados por d 'Hotman & Scholtz (1990). Atendiendo a la estructura de los orificios respiratorios larvarios Hinton (1967) también propuso que Glaphyrinae fuera elevado de categoria.…”

A Population Outbreak ofLichnia gallardoiGutiérrez, 1943 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) in the Matorral Shrublands of the Transitional Coastal Desert of Chile

“…Although the historical mean annual precipitation in the study area ranges from 103 mm (30°S) to 209 mm (32°S) (Novoa and Villaseca 1989), the latitudinal sequence of annual precipitation recorded in the pre-study year (2007) Considering the outbreak event occurred at 31°S (Fig. 3), it may have originated among the seminatural patches of vegetation (found in humid ravines and around houses) and in neglected crop fields, as evidenced by Hawkins (2006) who reported the presence of adult specimens in the flowers of various wild species present in the area, such as cactaceous, asteraceous, rosaceous, scrophulariaceous, and geophyte plants. Regarding oviposition, it can be inferred that females lay their eggs in sandy soils based on the adaptations they have in their legs that allow them to dig.…”

“…1-2) in the Coquimbo Region and Lichnia limbata Erichson, 1835 from the Valparaíso to the Maule Regions (Hawkins 2006). Both of these species are usually found on vegetation that grows in sandy soils both on the coast and within its distributional range below 2,000 m. The distribution of L. gallardoi in particular also encompasses the biodiversity hotspot area for Chile (Myers et al 2000), which is characterized by large landscape and environmental alterations resulting from the effects of agriculture and dryland cattle ranching, degradation, or rehabilitation by means of introduced species, e.g., Acacia saligna (Labill.)…”

“…The material is now stored in the collection of the Ecological Entomology Laboratory of the University of La Serena, Chile. Taxonomic identifications followed Hawkins (2006).…”

A molecular phylogeny of Glaphyridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea): evolution of pollination and association with ‘Poppy guild’ flowers

“…() using mitochondrial and ribosomal DNA, results indicate Glaphyridae to be sister to Pleurosticti. Two Chilean genera ( Lichnia Erichson and Arctodium Burmeister) previously included in Glaphyridae ended up among Melolonthinae lineages in a phylogenetic analysis based on 18S and 28S rDNA (Smith et al ., ) and were consequently removed from Glaphyridae; they now comprise the melolonthine tribe Lichniini Burmeister, 1844 (Hawkins, ).…”