Synopsis of the Pelidnotine Scarabs (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Rutelinae, Rutelini) and Annotated Catalog of the Species and Subspecies

Description:

The pelidnotine leaf chafers are a speciose assemblage of scarab beetles that are ecologically important as herbivores, pollinators, and habitat bioindicators. These beautiful beetles have long attracted the attention of local people, collectors, scientists, and artists. The group includes the spectacular metallic 'jewel scarabs' (Chrysina species) that occur in shades of iridescent green, gold, silver, and copper. The large and brilliant green species, Chrysophora chrysochlora, is used for adornment by native Indians in South America. The extant pelidnotine leaf chafers are entirely distributed in the New World and include 26 genera and over 400 species and subspecies. New species remain to be described. This group has had a complex nomenclatural history due primarily to 20th century taxonomic and nomenclatural errors. We synthesize the taxonomic and biodiversity information for the pelidnotine scarabs, provide a key and overviews of all genera, a catalog of all taxa (including synonyms, distributional data, and type specimen information), and images of 107 exemplar species. This work makes biodiversity research on pelidnotine leaf chafers tractable and accessible, thus setting the stage for studies that address evolutionary and ecological trends.