Dichotomius protectus (Harold, 1869)

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 : 831

Dichotomius protectus (Harold, 1869)

Materials examined. COLOMBIA • 1♂, 22.61 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda Buenavista, “El Porvenir” Farm ; 04°08′37.17″N, 073°41′04.71″W; 1177 m a.s.l.; 11 Feb. 2019; Wooded pasture, Cárdenas Johann, Parada Jenny leg.; Bvpat 6; UPTC-In-00058 . • 2♂, 22.61 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda Buenavista, “El Porvenir” Farm ; 04°08′35.25″N, 073°40ʹ50.28″W; 1122 m a.s.l.; 13 Oct. 2018; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg.; high secondary forest; Bvbt 5; UPTC- In-00059 . • 1♀, 22.61 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda Buenavista, “El Porvenir” Farm ; 4°08ʹ40.92″N, 073°41ʹ09.97″W; 1148 m a.s.l.; 23 Dec. 2018; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg.; riparian forest; Bvbrt 8; UPTC-In-00060 .

Identification. This species can be distinguished from other Dichotomius species , in the case of males by the head with transverse roughness and irregular granular punctation in the clypeus, frons and gena; clypeus with a horn that is flattened transversely; pronotum with strong flat and rough slope with transverse granules and with two small triangular horns towards the apical region of the slope. In females the head has a conical protuberance towards the vertex and frons region; pronotum with pronounced decline with four conical tubercles of equal size arranged transversely towards the apex (Sarmiento- Gárces and Amat-García 2014).

Distribution. This species is distributed in Colombia and Ecuador. In Colombia, it is found in the Eastern Cordillera up to 2500 m a.s.l., reaching the Magdalena Valley, the Orinoco region, and Amazonian foothills ( Sarmiento-Gárces and Amat-García 2009; Sarmiento- Gárces and Amat-García 2014). In the study area, the species was found between 850–1100 m a.s.l., with a preference for wooded habitats (137 individuals) and sporadic records in open areas, such as wooded grassland (four individuals).