Tomarus

For the mountain in Greece, see Tomaros.
Tomarus
Tomarus gibbosus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Superfamily: Scarabaeoidea
Family: Scarabaeidae
Subfamily: Dynastinae
Genus: Tomarus
Erichson, 1847
Species

27, see text

Synonyms

Ligyrus

Tomarus is a genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Dynastinae, the rhinoceros beetles. They are native to the Americas, where they are distributed from the central United States to Argentina, and a few species occur in the Caribbean.[1]

The adult beetles are nocturnal and attracted to lights; the larvae generally remain in the soil, often feeding on plant roots.[1]

In order to identify species, the parameres of the male must be pulled out of the abdomen and examined. This process should be done carefully, because the parameres are quite fragile, "almost parchment-like".[1]

There are about 27 species in the genus.[1]

Species include:[1][2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Ratcliffe, B. C. and R. D. Cave. (2010). The Dynastinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of the Cayman Islands (West Indies), with descriptions of Tomarus adoceteus, new species (Pentodontini) and Caymania nitidissima, new genus and species (Phileurini). Insecta Mundi 139, 1-15.
  2. ↑ Ratcliffe, B. C. (2003). The dynastine scarab beetles of Costa Rica and Panama (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 16, 1-506.
  3. ↑ Buss, E. A. Sugarcane Grub, Tomarus subtropicus Blatchley (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). EENY-318 (IN593). Entomology and Nematology. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida IFAS. Published 2003, revised 2006.