First record and DNA barcode of a scarab beetle, Adoretus kanarensis Arrow, 1917 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae), from Maharashtra, India

Abstract

Adoretus kanarensis Arrow, 1917, composed within the subfamily Rutelinae of family Scarabaeidae, was described from India about 107 years ago. These conspicuous, attractive, and tiny leaf chafers are recorded as predators of several agricultural crops. The mt DNA Barcodes of many Adoretus Dejean, 1833 species are available in global databases. In this work, first DNA barcode of A. kanarensis has been reported. Morphological details with photographs of the species along with a checklist of the genus Adoretus from Maharashtra is provided. The mt COI DNA sequences of Adoretus species recorded until now for the genus that are listed in GenBank are analyzed.