New record for Tesarius Rakovic in South America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Psammodiini)

Authors

Paul E. Skelley, Florida State Collection of Arthropods, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville, FL

Date of this Version

December 2000

Comments

Insecta Mundi, published by the Center for Systematic Entomology, is available online at http://centerforsystematicentomology.org/. Copyright © by Skelley.

Abstract

The genus Tesarius Rakovic (1981) is an interesting group of wingless, nearly eyeless (yet probably functionally blind), sand dune-dwelling scarabs. There are presently 5 species in the genus, T. sulcipennis (Lea 1904) from Tasmania and 4 species in western North America. One of these native North American species, T. caelatus (LeConte 1857) has been found in Britain (Johnson 1975). The genus is reviewed by Rakovic (1981, 1984), who provides a key to species.