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Issue: Vol. 5787 No. 3: 8 Apr. 2026
Type: Article
Published: 2026-04-08
DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5787.3.1
Page range: 401-438
Abstract views: 97
PDF downloaded: 9

Taxonomic review of the Neotropical genera Alvarinus Blanchard, 1850 and Corminus Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini), with remarks on related genera

Programa de Pós graduação em Biologia Animal; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Recife; Pernambuco; Brazil.
Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo; São Paulo; São Paulo; Brazil.
Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Departamento de Zoologia; Recife; Pernambuco; Brazil.
Coleoptera Chafers morphology Pleurosticti scarab beetles systematics South America

Abstract

The taxonomy of Alvarinus Blanchard, 1850 and Corminus Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini) is reviewed. Corminus, formerly a synonym of Alvarinus, is revalidated. With the new changes proposed here, Alvarinus now includes three species: A. fuscoviridis (Moser, 1918), comb. nov. (formerly in Plectris); A. submetallicus Blanchard, 1850 (type species); and A. viridifuscus (Moser, 1918), comb. nov. (formerly in Plectris). Corminus now includes 12 species, of which one is a new species: Corminus vazdemelloi Albuquerque, Fuhrmann, & Iannuzzi. Five species formerly included in Alvarinus are here transferred to other genera: Clavipalpus guayaquilanus (Moser, 1921), comb. nov.; Clavipalpus subsericeus (Blanchard, 1850), comb. nov.; Rhinaspis oblonga (Moser, 1919), comb. nov.; Rhinaspis parvula (Moser, 1919), comb. nov.; and Rhinaspis varians (Moser, 1921), comb. nov. Eighteen lectotypes are designated: Alvarinus hilarii Blanchard, 1850 (now in Corminus); A. pallidipennis Blanchard, 1850 (now in Corminus); Alvarinus submetallicus; A. subsericeus (now in Clavipalpus); Corminus bahianus Moser, 1919; Corminus brasiliensis Moser, 1919; Corminus guayaquilanus Moser, 1921 (now in Clavipalpus); Corminus luridipennis Burmeister, 1855 (a synonym of Corminus pallidipennis); Corminus maniculatus Burmeister, 1855 (a synonym of Corminus hilarii); Corminus oblongus Moser, 1919 (now in Rhinaspis); Corminus parvulus Moser, 1919 (now in Rhinaspis); Corminus rufofuscus Moser, 1924; Corminus setulosus Moser, 1919 (a synonym of Corminus brasiliensis); Corminus testaceipennis Moser, 1921; Corminus varians Moser, 1921 (now in Rhinaspis); Philochloenia aeneicollis Moser, 1921 (now in Corminus); Philochlaenia fuscoviridis Moser, 1918 (now in Alvarinus); and Philochlaenia viridifusca Moser, 1918 (now in Alvarinus). Five new synonymies are proposed: Corminus maniculatus Burmeister, 1855 and Plectris rectangula Frey, 1967 (formerly a synonym of Corminus pallidipenis) are synonyms of Corminus hilarii; Corminus luridipennis Burmeister, 1855 is synonym of Corminus pallidipennis; Corminus setulosus Moser, 1919 is synonym of Corminus brasiliensis; and Plectris curtisetis Frey, 1969 is synonym of A. submetallicus. Keys to Alvarinus and Corminus species, new geographic records, and upates to the classification of Clavipalpus Laporte, 1832 and Rhinaspis Perty, 1833 are also provided.

 

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How to Cite

Albuquerque, L.S.C., Fuhrmann, J. & Iannuzzi, L. (2026) Taxonomic review of the Neotropical genera Alvarinus Blanchard, 1850 and Corminus Burmeister, 1855 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae: Macrodactylini), with remarks on related genera. Zootaxa, 5787 (3), 401–438. https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5787.3.1