Study on the genus Onitis (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) of the Indian Subcontinent, with three new species from India

Abstract

Three new species of Onitis Fabricius, 1798 are described: Onitis bhomorensis sp. nov. from Assam (Northeast India), O. kethai sp. nov. and O. visthara sp. nov. from Karnataka (South India). Onitis bordati Cambefort, 1988 is recorded for the first time for the Indian subcontinent, from Meghalaya, India. Thus, the number of species of Onitis from the subcontinent has been raised to 20 and that of the Oriental region to 26. Illustrated identification keys to all the species of the genus Onitis from the Indian subcontinent are provided with distributional details and maps. Lectotype and paralectotypes designated for Onitis philemon Fabricius, 1801. Descriptions are provided for aedeagus of seventeen species of Onitis, as well as images of type specimens for nine species from their respective repositories. Distribution maps are provided for the species of Onitis of the Indian subcontinent.

Keywords

• basal fovea
• dung beetles
• Onitini
• new species
• new distribution