G. it. Ent., 11 (53): 297-306
May 2006
A review of the secondary sexually dimorphic characters
in the Ceratocanthinae
(Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Ceratocanthidae)
by
ALBERTO BALLERIO
Abstract - Most known genera of the Ceratocanthinae (Coleoptera, Ceratocanthidae) show a series of distinctive patterns of secondary sexual dimorphism. In the literature, the sexually dimorphic characters in the family have never been emphasized, and in many genera the sexual dimorphism, although conspicuous, has never been described. An analysis carried out on all the recognized genera of Ceratocanthinae shows that the following body parts are affected by sexual dimorphism: male protarsi (Eusphaeropeltis), the apical teeth of male and female protibiae (Ebbrittoniella, Paulianostes, Cyphopisthes), female protibiae (Melanophilharmostes, Goudotostes, Callophilharmostes, Carinophilharmostes, Petrovitzostes), the male apical spur of protibiae (many genera), the male inner apical spur of mesotibiae (most genera), the apical portion of metatibiae (some species of Germarostes), the inner apical spur of metatibiae (Pterorthochaetes), head (Melanophilharmostes, Goudotostes, Madrasostes clypeale), and pronotum (punctation) (Madrasostes clypeale). The functional meaning of these structures - any observation on the mating behavior and oviposition of these beetles lacking - may only be hypothesized, while the usefulness of these characters in reconstructing the phylogeny and in evaluating natural groups within the subfamily, is still not clear. Nevertheless, a preliminary analysis suggests that homogeneous groups of species usually show the same sexual dimorphism and that groups of genera often exhibit the same sexually dimorphic pattern.
