Mario Cupello

• PhD
• Assistant Curator of Entomology at Texas A&M University

Trogossitidae is one of the least-known beetle families in Brazil. In 2015, the first checklist dedicated to the family’s diversity in the country was published, recording 87 species. Subsequent revisions in the family-level taxonomy of Cleroidea, along with a detailed reanalysis of the literature that revealed several errors in the original list,...

Serra do Divisor National Park (SDNP) is a protected area located in the western Brazilian Amazon that is threatened by a pending bill proposing to downgrade its status and to build a road that would effectively slice the park in half. The biodiversity of SDNP is poorly understood and no dung beetle inventories have been conducted within the park t...

Campinarana is a fragile white‐sand rainforest ecosystem in Amazonia, where mining activities have been an important driver of landscape transformation, threatening biodiversity. Despite its importance for biodiversity, few studies have investigated insects' response to environmental disturbance in campinaranas . Here, we assess the differences bet...

Venezuela’s diverse land ecosystems are grouped into four major regions (coast-islands, low plains, hills and mountains), ranging from sea level up to 4978 m. The Scarabaeinae (Scarabaeidae, Coleoptera) currently encompass 278 genera and 6837 species worldwide, but are poorly inventoried in Venezuela. We reviewed the literature and the material hou...

In this study, we used colored fruit-baited traps for trapping cerambycid beetles (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea: Cerambycidae) in the southwestern Brazilian Amazon, state of Rondônia, northern Brazil. Our collections revealed six new records for the state, Sphallotrichus bidens (Fabricius, 1801), Cosmoplatidius abare Napp & Martins, 2006, Chydarteres...

In 2000, Cleide Costa published a paper presenting the state of knowledge of the Neotropical Coleopte ra, with a focus on the Brazilian fauna. Twenty-four years later, thanks to the development of the Coleoptera section of the Taxonomic Catalog of the Brazilian Fauna (CTFB - Catálogo Taxonômico da Fauna do Brasil) through the collaboration of 100 c...

Among dung beetles, ‘sit and wait’ comprise a common strategy, in which in-dividuals perch on leaves. The goal of this study was to assess the spatial dy-namics of dung beetle perching in a region of the Amazon. We analysed theintra- and interspecific relationships between individual body size, leaf area, leafshape, and the height at which beetles...

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classifications. In this context, the Brazilian mega...

The limited temporal completeness and taxonomic accuracy of species lists, made available in a traditional manner in scientific publications, has always represented a problem. These lists are invariably limited to a few taxonomic groups and do not represent up-to-date knowledge of all species and classification. In this context, the B Brazilian meg...

Previously overlooked literature now brought to my attention has resulted in the following nomenclatural conclusions: 1) The species known since 2013 as Gromphas inermis Harold, 1869 must be called G. lacordairii (Oken, 1834), whose original combination was Coprobius lacordairii. Gromphas inermis is a new junior subjective synonym of G. lacordairii...

Bird droppings are an unusual food resource for coprophagous insects and used mostly by opportunistic decomposers. Among them, dung beetles feed mainly on dung, although the species differ in their trophic plasticity. Here we report a record of a dung beetle, Canthidium cf. gracilipes, reaching and manipulating the dropping of a passeriform bird, D...

The fragmentation and degradation of otherwise continuous natural landscapes pose serious threats to the health of animal populations, consequently impairing their fitness and survival. While most fragmentation ecology studies focus on habitat remnants embedded withinn terrestrial matrices, the effects of true insularization remains poorly understo...

After almost two decades of stagnation, the taxonomy of the New World Scarabaeinae dung beetles has since 1988 been going through a period of great effervescence. In the last 35 years, 81 complete revisions and 69 supplements have been produced by 86 authors based in 15 countries, addressing the taxonomic status of 950 species. This is what we chri...

Chalcocopris hesperus (originally Scarabaeus hesperus) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae, Dichotomiini) is a common and unmistakable dung beetle species from the Atlantic Forest of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. In 2015, a neotype was designated for its valid name based on the belief that the original type series had been lost. However, the...

Dung beetles are sensitive to environmental quality, therefore being excellent bioindicators and are being used to assess the effects of habitat transformation. These beetles are detritivores, thus contributing to the environment by cycling soil nutrients, aerating the soil, and performing secondary seed dispersal. In this chapter, our primary goal...

A species is newly recorded from Bolivia, Sylvicanthon monnei Cupello and Vaz de-Mello, 2018, and the previously dubious record of Sylvicanthon candezei (Harold, 1869) from the country is confirmed. Agamopus viridis Boucomont, 1928, Pseudocanthon chaquensis Nazaré-Silva and Silva, 2021, and Pseudocanthon pantanensis Nazaré-Silva and Silva, 2021 are...

Ever since Schmidt’s (1922) review of Canthon, the authorship of the species-group name Canthon rutilans cyanescens (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) has been almost unanimously attributed to Harold (1868). Here, we argue that this is mistaken. This species-group name first entered the literature as a nomen nudum in Lacordaire’s 1830 memoirs of his South...

The distribution of the iridescent dung beetle Bolbites onitoides can be divided, based on dorsal colouration, into a blue western-half and a red eastern-half. This has raised the question, in 1959, of whether the two colour variants could represent distinct subspecies. Having examined ~1200 specimens and evaluated the proposal under both an ontolo...

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.5 of the Code, is to conserve current usage of the specific name of Choeridium latum Boucomont, 1928, a junior primary homonym of Choeridium latum Blanchard, 1846. These names are currently used as valid in combination with different nominal genera: Blanchard’s species with Canthidium Erichson, 18...

A new species, Ateuchus tona, from the eastern Andes of Colombia is described and illustrated. The unique set of characters of this species, particularly the unusual sexual dimorphism in the sixth abdominal ventrite, which is largely expanded medially only in males, clearly separates this species from all other known species of Ateuchus. The specie...

Streblopus Van Lansberge, 1874 has been one of the most mysterious dung beetle groups of the Neotropical fauna, having a rather peculiar morphology, very few known specimens in collections and a difficult placement among the scarabaeine lineages. In this work, based on the examination of a recently collected series of specimens and a synthesis of s...

Holocanthon is a dung beetle genus distributed across South American open environments such as the Humid Chaco, the Brazilian Cerrado and the Argentinian Espinal, as well as some more forested localities in the southern Atlantic Forest and in the Bolivian and Argentinian Yungas. Considered monospecific for more than 60 years, the genus now includes...

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.5 of the Code, is to conserve the specific name Ateuchus costatus Wiedemann, 1823, a junior primary homonym of Ateuchus costatus Thunberg, 1818. These names are currently in use and have not been treated as congeneric since 1869, when the homonyms were transferred to the genera Scarabaeus Linnaeus...

After an extensive revision of the literature, we come to the following conclusions concerning the nomenclature of Southern African monkey beetles of the subtribe Pachycnemina: firstly, the current usage of the nominal subgenus Pachycnemula Schein, 1959 for a subgenus taxon different from Pachycnema s. str. Le Peletier de Saint-Fargeau & Audinet-Se...

The present work represents the first part of a series of papers studying the type material of the New World Scarabaeinae deposited in all major museums of the world. The main goals of this series are to locate the whereabouts of those types, designate, when appropriate, lectotypes and neotypes, and illustrate those speci- mens and their labels so...

Although extensively studied by different authors over the past 150 years, the taxonomy of Canthon Hoffmannsegg, 1817 and allied genera (which are here informally referred to as ‘Canthon sensu lato’) still remains problematic. With the aim of resolving some of the questions surrounding these taxa, the present work reviews the taxonomy of one of the...

The species Canthidium alvarezi Martínez and Halffter, 1986 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is transferred to the genus Ateuchus Weber, 1801, becoming Ateuchus alvarezi (Martínez and Halffter), new combination. Its relationship with other species in the genus is briefly discussed. The validity and ranking of the genus Lobidion Génier, 2010...

In this work, it is explained why previous authors who considered that Canthidium lentum Erichson, 1947 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) was fixed as the type species of Canthidium Erichson, 1847 in Robert Lucas’ 1920 catalogue of Coleoptera genera were mistaken. Instead, the first authors to designate a type species for Canthidium were Mar...

Discussed and illustrated are the type specimens of the nine species names established by Redtenbacher (1868) for South American dung beetle taxa: Canthon auricollis, C. cyanopterus, C. fulgidus, C. lamproderes, C. ornatus, C. puncticollis, C. quadripunctatus, Choeridium foveicolle, and C. platymerum. Lectotypes are designated for all of them, and...

Phanaeini are by far the dung beetle tribe with the most understood systematics in the NewWorld. For the past three decades, a series of papers has been published addressing the taxonomy of most of its now recognized 11 genera (see list in Cupello and Vaz-de-Mello 2013), and the last of those was Génier and Arnaud’s (2016) revision of the highly en...

Currently 13 species-group names assigned to the subgenus Megaphanaeus of Coprophanaeus are deemed available (or 'potentially available'), four of which denote valid species. In the present work we review the nomenclatural history of those names and conclude that two of them, Scarabaeus satelles Lichtenstein, 1796 and Copris ajax Sturm, 1826, are u...

Cerambycidae, Disteniidae and Vesperidae species (Insecta, Coleoptera) recorded from Mato Grosso do Sul State, Brazil. A survey of the Cerambycidae, Disteniidae and Vesperidae species recorded from Mato Grosso do Sul state, Brazil, is presented. The data were based on literature and in the collection of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do R...

Notórios por sua diversidade morfológica e comportamental, os rola-bostas têm sido foco de grande esforço taxonômico nas últimas décadas. O gênero Bolbites Harold, 1868, apesar de monotípico desde sua descrição e ser parte de Phanaeni, uma das tribos mais estudadas de Scarabaeinae, apresentava em aberto importantes questões sobre a delimitação de s...

Apesar de estudada com profundidade por diversos autores ao longo dos últimos 150 anos, a taxonomia de Canthon Hoffmannsegg, 1817 e gêneros afins (os quais são reunidos no grupo informal “Canthon sensu lato”) ainda está imersa em grandes problemas. Com o objetivo de contribuir para a solução de algumas dessas questões e a proposição de outras mais,...

Recently, a new paper authored by two of us (Rossini & Vaz-de-Mello, 2015) addressed a taxonomic revision of Chalcocopris Burmeister, 1846, describing a second species for the genus and expanding our knowledge of its distribution and morphological diversity. In the present work, we address additional nomenclatural and historical issues not covered...

São apresentados os primeiros resultados de um projeto ainda em andamento que visa completar um levantamento e guia de identificação dos besouros rola-bosta do Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, uma das mais importantes áreas de conservação da Mata Atlântica. O gênero Eurysternus Dalman, 1824, o único membro sul-americano da tribo Oniticellini, está repr...

Gromphas jardim Cupello & Vaz-de-Mello sp. nov. is described from Bolivia and Central Brazil and is endemic to the biogeographic province of Rondônia. It resembles Gromphas amazonica and Gromphas inermis, but is distinguished primarily by the pattern of pronotal granulation and the form of the apical tubercle of male protibiae, which is modified in...

In this work, we propose the following taxonomic acts: in Elaphidiini, Ambonus variatus (Newman, 1841) is transferred to Centrocerum Chevrolat, 1861 and has as new junior synonyms Elaphidion elegans Chevrolat, 1861 and E. elegans var. hirsutum, var. jocosum, and var. puberulum, all names proposed by Chevrolat in 1861 as varieties and deemed here as...

The purpose of this application, under Article 23.9.5 of the Code, is to conserve the specific names Cerambyx striatus Goeze, 1777 and Cerambyx striatus Fabricius, 1787. Cerambyx striatus Linnaeus, 1758, C. striatus Goeze, 1777 and C. striatus Fabricius, 1787 are primary homonyms, but the first name has never been congeneric with either of the othe...

Coprophanaeus machadoi, species described based on a single male from Minas Gerais, was recently synonymized with C. saphirinus (Sturm, 1826). In this work, based on examination of more than 500 specimens from Brazilian Atlantic Forest, we introduce new evidence supporting the validity of C. machadoi, including differences in male pronotal ornament...

Recently, we (Cupello & Vaz-de-Mello, 2013) presented a taxonomic revision of the dung beetle genus Gromphas Brullé, 1837 in which we recognized the validity of five species: Gromphas aeruginosa (Perty, 1830), G. amazonica Bates, 1870, G. dichroa Blanchard, 1846, G. inermis Harold, 1869, and G. lemoinei Waterhouse, 1891. In that work, we also confi...

As defined here, Phanaeini comprises two subtribes, Gromphadina, with Gromphas and Oruscatus, and Phanaeina, with 10 genera including Bolbites. Gromphas occurs east of the Andes and includes five species: G aeruginosa (Perty, 1830) (= G lacordairei Blanchard, 1846); G amazonica Bates, 1870; G. dichroa Blanchard, 1846; G inermis Harold, 1869 (= G. l...

As defined here, Phanaeini comprises two subtribes, Gromphadina (name here revalidated and corrected from the original “Gromphina”), with Gromphas and Oruscatus, and Phanaeina, with 10 genera including Bolbites. Gromphas occurs east of the Andes and includes five species: G. aeruginosa (Perty, 1830) (= G. lacordairei Blanchard, 1846); G. amazonica...

Coprophanaeus terrali, a species based on a single male from Sinop, Brazil, had its validity questioned recently when it was suggested that its tetratuberculate cephalic carina could be just an individual variation of C. dardanus (MacLeay, 1819). In this work, based on three additional males and two females collected near the type locality, we pres...

Host plants of Cerambycidae and Vesperidae (Coleoptera, Chrysomeloidea) from South America. This paper offers a contribution to the knowledge on host plants of Cerambycidae and Vesperidae (Coleoptera, Chrysomeloidea) from South America. A total of 211 species of longhorn beetles belonging to 111 genera, 49 tribes, five subfamilies and two families...

A survey of the Lamiinae species recorded in the Parque Nacional do Itatiaia, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil, is presented. The data were based on literature, field work and in the collection of the Museu Nacional, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. Three hundred and twenty two species of Lamiinae are registered, and this represents about 30% of...