Synopsis of the cyclocephaline scarab beetles (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Dynastinae) Author Moore, Matthew R. Author Cave, Ronald D. Author Branham, Marc A. text ZooKeys 2018 745 1 99 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.745.23683 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.745.23683 1313-2970-745-1 16F1AE595650485F9D8C6149E962D461 Augoderia Burmeister, 1847 Type species. Augoderia nitidula Burmeister, 1847: 34, by monotypy. Valid taxa. Five species and subspecies. The five species and subspecies of Augoderia are distributed in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, French Guiana, Peru, and Venezuela ( Burmeister 1847 , Harold 1869b , Arrow 1937b , Blackwelder 1944 , Guimaraes 1944, Martinez 1966 , Gibbs et al. 1977 , Endrodi 1966 , 1967a , 1981 , 1985a , Riehs 2005 , Ronqui and Lopes 2006 , Ponchel 2009, Grossi et al. 2011 , Ratcliffe et al. 2015 ) (Fig. 55). Augoderia species are similar to some Cyclocephala in overall appearance, although three taxa ( A. giuglarisi Ponchel, A. nitidula nitidula , and A. nitidula yungana Martinez ) are notable for their metallic, mother-of-pearl luster that reflects circularly polarized light, a cuticular trait that is rare in Dynastinae ( Endrodi 1967a , 1981 , Ponchel 2009, Pye 2010 ). The biology of Augoderia species is completely unknown. Gibbs et al. (1977) reported A. nitidula as a floral visitor of Magnolia ovata , but this beetle was likely a misidentified Cyclocephala species (see Gottsberger et al. 2012 , Moore and Jameson 2013 ). The immature stages are undescribed. Adults are attracted to lights at night ( Riehs 2005 , Ronqui and Lopes 2006 , Grossi et al. 2011 ). Figure 55. Country-level distribution of Augoderia taxa in South America. Numbers indicate taxa per country. Augoderia , though maintained as a valid genus since Burmeister (1847) , is poorly defined and diagnosed in the literature. The irregularly spaced punctures of the elytra and the mother-of-pearl sheen of some taxa are the only characters historically used to separate Augoderia from Cyclocephala . Thus, the genus has no clearly hypothesized synapomorphic characters. For example, many characters used to diagnose Augoderia in Endrodi's (1985a) Dynastinae of the World are all variably present in Cyclocephala , Arriguttia , and Aspidolea species: 1) body short, convex; 2) dorsal coloration yellow, with dark maculae, and with or without metallic reflections; 3) mandibles of males with small anterolateral tooth, lacking in females; 4) frontoclypeal suture complete; 5) 10-segmented antennae with a short club in both sexes; 6) large eyes; 7) males with thickened protarsi; and 8) protibia tridentate in both sexes. The following combination of characters can be used to recognize Augoderia species: 1) dorsal coloration yellowish or light brown, with or without elytral maculae, with or without metallic, mother-of-pearl sheen; 2) body not anteroposteriorly compressed or dorsoventrally flattened; 3) clypeal apex evenly rounded in dorsal view; 4) frons mesad of eyes with long, erect setae; 5) frontoclypeal suture complete; 6) males with anterolateral margin of mandibles weakly toothed; 7) mandibular molar area with rows of circular micropunctures; 8) apical margin of mentum weakly emarginated; 9) galea of the maxilla on inner surface with 3 fused basal teeth, a free median tooth, and 2 fused apical teeth (3-1-2 arrangement); 10) pronotum at base with incomplete or complete marginal bead; 11) pronotum on anterolateral portions with long, erect setae; 12) males and females with 3 protibial teeth, basal tooth reduced, removed from the apical 2 teeth, and oriented anteriorly; 13) protibial spur straight to weakly deflexed; 14) males with inner protarsal claw enlarged and narrowly cleft at apex; 15) mesocoxae widely separated; 16) metatibiae without distal, transverse carinae; 17) metacoxae with lateral edge perpendicular to ventral surface; 18) anterior edge of hindwing distal to apical hinge lacking setae and with produced, membranous border; 19) vein RA with 2 rows of pegs extending distally nearly to margin of apical hinge.