Eurysternus caribaeus (Herbst, 1789)

Cárdenas-Bautista, Johann Stephens, Parada-Alfonso, Jenny Andrea & Carvajal‑Cogollo, Juan E., 2020, Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) of the Foothills-Andean Forest strip of Villavicencio, Colombia, Check List 16 (4), pp. 821-839 : 833

Eurysternus caribaeus (Herbst, 1789)

Materials examined. COLOMBIA • 4, 17.48 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda Buenavista, “El Porvenir” Farm ; 04°08ʹ35.25″N, 073°40ʹ50.28″W; 1122 m a.s.l.; 23 Dec. 2018; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg., High secondary forest; Bvbt5; UPTC-In-00073 . • 3, 17.48 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda Buenavista, “El Porvenir” Farm ; 04°08ʹ42.33″N, 073°41ʹ09.20″W; 1147 m a.s.l.; 23 Dec. 2018; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg.; riparian forest; Bvbrt7; UPTC-In-00074 .

Identification. This species can be distinguished from other Eurysternus species by the posterior angle of the simple pronotum in males; metaventrite with two small longitudinal keels in its mid-basal part; posterior femur has a single tooth or tubercle in the posterior aspect, in some individuals an additional poorly developed tooth may appear near the base; in males the medial and posterior teeth of the anterior tibia is directed obliquely downwards ( Génier 2009).

Distribution. In Colombia it has been reported from Amazonas, Caquetá, Cundinamarca, Guaviare, Meta and Norte de Santander; in areas from 0 to 3000 m a.s.l. ( Génier 2009; Camero-R 2010), and at low elevations in the Colombian Orinoco region, between 100–350 m a.s.l. ( Medina and Pulido 2009). Specimens have been observed associated with almost all the habitats of the Neotropical region ( Génier 2009). In the study area between 700–1200 m a.s.l., 702 individuals of this abundant species were collected, both during the dry and rainy season. The high secondary forest was the most preferred habitat, represented by 328 individuals, followed by the riparian forest with 271, and to a lesser extent the wooded grassland where 99 individuals were recorded and four individuals were collected in open grassland.