Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche, 1849) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) crossed the Darién? New record for Colombia and South America

  • Claudia A. Medina-Uribe

    Center for Nature-Based Solutions, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt Villa de Leyva Boyacá, Colombi

    ORCID 0000-0002-7714-9220
  • Arturo González-Alvarado

    Postdoctoral research, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt, Villa de Leyva Boyacá, Colombia

    ORCID 0000-0002-0343-3704
Keywords
Neotropics, invasive species

Abstract

Te African species Euoniticellus intermedius (Reiche, 1849) (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaei¬nae) was introduced to North America in 1974. It was frst introduced in Hawaii and subsequently spread to other locations in the United States, where it rapidly became established. From there, the species naturally colonized Central America and is now considered an invasive species. Here, we report the frst record of this species in South America. Specimens were collected in the Cesar Department of Colombia, manually from cattle dung. We discuss possible routes by which the species may have arrived. Finally, we provide photo¬graphs of the male, female, and male genitalia, along with a map showing collection records from Mexico to Colombia.

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