Genus Cephalodesmius description

Dung
Beetles
of eastern NSW

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Genus Cephalodesmius

Species found in eastern New South Wales: C. armiger, C. laticollis.

Other species: C. quadridens (Qld)

Distribution
From just south of Wollongong to northern Queensland.

Description
Medium to large (6-19mm), oblong or with broadened prothorax, pronotal disc more or less convex, elytral disc relatively flat with very sharp pseudepipleural edges. Colour uniformly black, surfaces matt. No tubercles or keels on pronotum or elytra.

4-8 clypeal teeth, of which the middle two are very long, the 2nd pair prominent and usually shorter, the remaining pairs minute if present. Anterior part of underside of pronotum not excavated, bounded by an incomplete beaded line.

Elytra: elytra with 9 striae, 7 on disc, 2 on pseudepipleura, which are very broad and strongly folded. Striae very shallow, intervals nearly flat.

Hind wings: Reduced or absent.

Legs: Outer edge of fore tibiae with 3 large teeth, the edge between them sharply serrate. Middle coxae parallel, widely separated. Claws normal, simple.

Abdomen: Pygidium almost triangular, flat, with complete margin.

Sexual dimorphism
Last abdominal sternite medially convex and a little longer in female, flat or concave in male. Differences in the clypeal teeth and fore tibiae, depending on species.

Similar Genera
Aulacopris, of a similar size and general shape.
Obvious differences: Aulocopris has tuberculate elytra, and two small clypeal teeth.

Ecology
Adults coprophagous, flightless, in tall open forest and montane forests. Larvae feed on brood pellets made from fallen leaves and flowers.

References
Cassis, G. & Weir, T.A. (1992) Scarabaeinae. pp 106-173. In: Houston, W.W.K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea. Canberra: AGPS Vol. 9.

Matthews, E.G. (1974) A revision of the Scarabaeine dung beetles of Australia. II. Tribe Scarabaeini. Aust. J. Zool. Suppl. Ser. 24: 1-211.

Monteith, G. B. & Storey, R. I. (1981) The biology of Cephalodesmius, a genus of dung beetles which synthesises "dung" from plant material (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae). Mem. Qld. Mus. 20: 253-277.