Odontolytes denominatus (Chevrolat 1864)

Ataenius sciurus

DESCRIPTION.—Holotype Male: Length 6.4 mm; width 3.0 mm. Elongate-oblong, convex, shining, dark castaneous. Head convex, clypeal margin finely reflexed, broadly rounded each side of rather shallow median emargination, sides arcuate to broadly rounded genae; clypeus minutely wrinkled, minutely punctate, moderately shining and concave behind median emargination; gradually very fine, to fine, to very moderately coarse punctures upward over median convexity to base of clypeus, a trifle larger laterally where they are slightly elongate, and deeper posteriorly, generally separated by their diameter or less; frontal punctures dense, round, and about the same size as adjacent clypeal punctures but closer, practically contiguous at suture, gradually more widely separated toward base. Pronotum unusually short and wide, length 1.5 mm and width 2.5 mm, anterior angles very obtusely rounded, sides nearly straight, hind angles feebly emarginate, base faintly sinuate and weakly lobed at middle, base margined but sides not distinctly so, edge fimbriate-crenate under moderate magnification, the crenations distinct but the setae minute and not easily seen; disc with mixed, very fine and very moderate, scattered punctures, laterally the fine punctures disappear, and moderately coarse punctures become quite dense, separated by half their diameters or less. Elytra convex, sides arcuate, length 4.2 mm, width posterior to middle 3.0 mm, humeri finely, sharply dentate, striae fine, moderately deep, deep strial punctures separated by about five times their diameter, slightly crenating sides of moderately convex intervals, intervals, including sutural, with scattered, fine, very minutely setigerous punctures more or less in two rows, the extreme edges of the interval with a fine alutaceous line, 10th interval flat, alutaceous with a median row of low, indefinite, shiny tubercles, shoulders coarsely punctate; striae become much wider and the intervals subcarinately convex over apical declivity; strongly convex apical edge of elytra closely, noticeably very moderately punctate. Mesosternum shagreened as usual, low, wide, shining carina between the coxae. Metasternum shining, midline long, fine, moderately deep, deeper at each end, surface with rather scattered, very fine punctures, finely scabrous out to sides, rather shallow metasternal triangle very finely scabrous within.

● exiguus hesperius

First visible abdominal sternum with strong posterior marginal line. Remaining sterna finted along anterior margin, the fluting increasingly longer on successive sterna, those of 5th sternum at middle nearly half the length of the sternum; surface everywhere very finely alutaceous, the sterna weakly convex, strongly, closely punctate from side to side, punctures at middle finer and less close, toward sides coarser, closer, shallower, becoming noticeably elongate at extreme sides. Pygidium with shiny, convex, coarsely punctate, wide apical lip connected to base by a sharp median carina, the eroded disc finely alutaceous with a few fine, scattered tubercles, the alutaceous surface slopes gradually from the apical lip to the deepest point at the high carina-like basal edge. Anterior femora with perimarginal groove, surface densely, scabrously punctate anteriorly, less scabrous and punctures well-separated posteriorly. Middle femora coarsely, closely punctate along anterior margin, the punctures noticeably elongate, end to end, similarly punctate over outer fourth, discal area gradually more finely and less closely punctate toward base, posterior marginal line deep and entire. Posterior femora very similar but the punctures round and fewer in number, three or four coarse setigerous punctures at knee, posterior marginal line deep and entire. Apical fringe of posterior tibia with nine close, short, even setae, a long, strong, triangular accessory spine and without an intervening seta. Metatarsus nearly one-third longer than long spur and equal to the following four segments combined. The 4th abdominal sternum is shorter at middle and the pygidium much longer than in the female.

Allotype Female: Length 6.0 mm; width 2.8 mm. I noticed no differences from the holotype other than the longer 4th abdominal sternum and shorter pygidium.

HOLOTYPE.—USNM 71745.

TYPE-LOCALITY.—7 mi N of Gainesville, Florida. Collected 22 January 1947, in nest of Florida fox squirrel, Sciurus niger L., by J. C. Moore.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED.—20.

DATES COLLECTED.—March 12 to December 23.

DISTRIBUTION (Figure 18).—Paratypes. Florida (19): Archbold Biological Station, Highlands County, near Lake Placid (1), at light, 16 May 1968, O. L. Cartwright. Dunedin (2), at lights, 14 May 1959, O. L. Cartwright. Gainesville (4): 22 January 1947, J. C. Moore (2, includes allotype, collected with holotype); 21 May 1970, blacklight, F. W. Meade (1); 30 May to 2 June 1968, blacklight, R. E. Woodruff (1). Merritt Island (1), horned owl nest, 12 March 1956, Howden and Howell. Oneco, Manatee County (1), no date, Paula Dillman. Welaka, Putnam County (10), in fox squirrel nests, various dates, 24 March to 23 December 1947, J. C. Moore.

Odontolytes denominatus is a species of aphodiine dung beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea, Central America, North America, and South America.