Science Snacks: Taxonomic review of the Dichotomius mamillatus group

Paper Title: Taxonomic review of the Dichotomius mamillatus group (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), with a description of a new species, Dichotomius (Dichotomius) gandinii sp. nov., from western Amazonia

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Paper Summary:

Dichotomius is a genus of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles. This research paper further resolves the many taxonomic questions that are still hampering the correct identification of Dichotomius species in the Neotropics, providing key diagnostic tools for researchers interested in scarab beetles. The researchers in this study conducted a morphologically based taxonomic revision of the Dichotomius mamillatus species group. The external and genital morphology of the group and species are defined through examination of surviving type material, as well as hundreds of reference specimens deposited in several natural history collections. This comprehensive morphological study of the D. mamillatus group highlights the important taxonomic value of the often‐overlooked endophallic structures (the inner wall of the copulatory organ of some male insects), as well as their central role in informing hypotheses of systematic relationships

Authors: Michele Rossini  Fernando Z Vaz‐de‐Mello

Journal: Austral Entomology

Year: 2020

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