Passalidae (Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea) from the Caribbean coast of Colombia: synopsis, key, and new species description

By

Jiménez-Ferbans, Larry
Maestre-Guerra, Ana
Villalba-Fuentes, Evelin
Barros-Barrios, Mayelis
Muñoz-Montero, Jeison

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2023

Original Publication

ZooKeys

Volume

1179

Pages

243--297

Subjects

diversity , taxonomy , wood beetles

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia, Bulgaria Pensoft Publishers

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1179.104037

 

Abstract

Bess beetles (Passalidae) are a subsocial family of Coleoptera with approximately 1000 known species of saproxylophagous diet and pantropical distribution, with few extratropical species. Because of their high levels of endemism (especially in mountains), feeding habits, and complex subsociability; Passalidae is considered an excellent biological subject for taxonomic, biogeographical, and evolutionary studies. Colombia is the richest country with more than 118 recorded species of Passalidae, most of the species being related to humid and mountain areas. Colombia’s Caribbean region constitutes the northern portion of the country, extending for more than 130,000 km2and includes four of the eight biogeographical provinces of Colombia. Since the 2000s this region has been the subject of systematic surveys for Passalidae; as a result, 18 passalid species have been recorded to date. After new explorations and review of entomological collections, the knowledge of the passalid fauna for the region is updated, recording 28 species (8 new records, 2 new species) for which are provided species diagnoses, photographs, and a taxonomic key. The dry plain, characteristic of the lowlands, is dominated by widely distributed species such asPassalus punctigerandPassalus interstitialis, while the mountainous systems provide species of more restricted distributions, some of them endemic to the Colombian Caribbean.