Revision of the genus Trox* Fabricius (Coleoptera : Trogidae) of the Australasian region

Abstract

The Australasian species of Trox are revised. Fifty-three species are described and keyed, ten of which are new. Adults of all species and their male genitalia are illustrated and their distributions mapped. Observations are presented on phylogeny, zoogeography and biology. The new species are T. mariae, T. howdenorum, T. aphanocephalus, T. nigroscobinus, T. mariettae, T. pellosomus, T. parvicollis, T. alius, T. carinicollis and T. monteithi. Five new synonymies are proposed (synonyms listed first): T. eremita Blackburn = T. crotchi Harold; T. litigiosus Harold = T. alternans Macleay; T. semmelinki Lansberge and T. speculifer Heller = T. squamosus Macleay; T. novaecaledoniae Balthasar = T. suberosus F. Seventeen lectotypes are designated.

*In a recent paper (Scholtz 1986) the subgenus Omorgus Erichson was elevated to genus. Consequently, all native Australasian species belong to Omorgus.