A first faunistic study on the tribe Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of Baikunthapur Tropical Forest of the Himalayan foothills, West Bengal, India

Abstract

Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905 is a paucispecific tribe of the scarab beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae. The tribe is composed of 256 described species worldwide, while from India, 26 species were recorded to date. Beetles belonging to this tribe are commonly known as paracoprid dung beetles and perform some remarkable ecological functions. Nevertheless, there is a dearth of knowledge on the occurrence of these beetles in the mega diverse tropical forests of the Himalayan foothills located in the north of the West Bengal state of India. A first faunistic account of the tribe Oniticellini Kolbe, 1905 from Baikunthapur Forest, located at the Himalayan foothills of the West Bengal state of India is presented. A total of five species of the tribe distributed over two genera Tiniocellus and Liatongus were recorded during multiple surveys of the scarab fauna of the Forest. All taxa were recorded for the first time from the area, while Tiniocellus spinipes (Roth, 1851) is a new record for the West Bengal State of India. Additionally, a preliminary checklist of Indian species of the tribe is also provided.