Geniatini, Burmeister, 1844

Paucar-Cabrera, Aura, 2005, A catalog and distributional analysis of the Rutelinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Ecuador, Zootaxa 948 (1), pp. 1-92 : 60

Tribe Geniatini

( Figs 4 , 10 , 15 ; Tables 4, 7)

The tribe Geniatini is exclusively Neotropical, and it occurs from Mexico to northern Argentina and Brazil. Only one species ( Geniates leptopus Ohaus ) is known from Chile ( Villatoro 2001). Species of geniatines inhabit semideciduous forests and cloud forests, but little is known of their natural history. In the Neotropics, the tribe Geniatini includes 13 genera and 323 described species ( Villatoro 2001). In Ecuador, the Geniatini includes 5 genera with 28 species (7 unnamed). There is little information about the distribution of the species due to lack of collecting, incomplete label data, and lack of specimens identified to species.

This group is poorly known taxonomically. Revisions and keys to species are needed for all the genera, and the taxonomic position of some genera and species needs clarification. Based on the distributional data of geniatines in Ecuador, members of this tribe are predominantly distributed in the eastern tropical and subtropical areas (at elevations of 460–1200 m) ( Fig. 10 ). The highest altitude reached by geniatine scarabs is 2800 m ( Bolax pulla (Latreille)) . Ecuadorian Geniatini includes 16 species that are endemic ( Table 4). Endemic geniatines occupy the eastern subtropical and tropical zones ( Leucothyreus anaemicus Ohaus , L. cupripennis Ohaus , L. jivarus Ohaus , Lobogeniates abdominalis Ohaus , L. hirtus Ohaus and Trizogeniates schmidti (Ohaus)) , and the temperate zone ( Leucothyreus davisi Ohaus ) ( Table 4).

Few specimens of the Geniatini material examined have complete collecting data and so inferences of temporal distributions are not possible. However, based on limited available data, geniatines have one peak of abundance during March ( Fig. 4 , Table 7). An increase in adult activity may occur during December and January, but more sampling is needed to verify this.

Figures

FIGURE 15. Habitus of Trizogeniates schmidti (Ohaus) (from Villatoro 2002).

FIGURES 2–7. Histograms of temporal distribution of tribe species throughout a year: 2) Anomalini; 3) Anoplognathini; 4) Geniatini; 5) Rutelini; 6) Spodochlamyini. 7) Histogram of temporal distribution of Rutelinae species throughout a year.

FIGURES 10–11. Distribution of species of: 10) Geniatini; 11) Rutelini.