Revision of the genus Amadotrogus Reitter, 1902 (n. stat.) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae)

Abstract

In this paper, the subgenus Amadotrogus Reitter, 1902 and its taxonomic status as a subordinate taxon of genus Amphimallon are reviewed. Two kinds of character sets are discussed; those relative to the external morphology of the adult and those of the male and female genitalia. Subgenus Amadotrogus is compared with its recognized allied genera in the same clade (Coca-Abia 1995) Amphimallon Berthold, 1827; Geotrogus Guérin, 1842; Monotropus Erichson, 1847; Pseudoapeterogyna Escalera, 1914 and Rhizotrogus Berthold, 1827 to asses the realtionships of these taxa. Phylogenetic analysis discloses that Amadotrogus, considered to be a subgenus of Amphimallon, has synapomorphic characters which justify its elevation to generic rank. Thus, genus Amadotrogus includes seven species distributed across the Northern Mediterranean basin. The type species, Amadotrogus quercanus (Burmeister, 1855), and six others, transferred from genus Rhizotrogus: Amadotrogus grassii (Mainardi, 1902), Amadotrogus insubricus (Burmeister, 1855), Amadotrogus oertzeni (Brenske, 1886), Amadotrogus patru- elis (Reiche, 1862), Amadotrougs truncatus (Brenske, 1886) and Amadotrogus vicinus (Mulsant, 1842) (Coca-Abia & Martín-Piera 1998). In addition, Rhizotrogus rugifrons Burmeister, 1855 is considered a new synonym of Amadotrogus vicinus. Rhizotrogus bolivari Martínez y Sáez, 1873, Amphimallon cata- launicum Báguena, 1956 and Rhizotrogus lajonquierei Baraud, 1970 are synonymized with Amadotrogus patruelis. © 2002 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.