Lepanus

Lepanus parapisoniae, copyright Cate Lemann.

Belongs within: Scarabaeinae.

Lepanus is an Australasian genus of small, often shiny dung beetles.

Characters (from Matthews 1974): Broadly oval, small (1.6-6.5 mrn), moderately to very convex. Colour usually uniformly rufopiceous, sometimes with rufous areas or entirely rufous or flavous. Surfaces usually strongly nitid and glabrous, sometimes more matt and dorsally setose. Without dorsal carinae or tubercles. Head not transverse. Clypeal edge with 2 small teeth, approximated and separated by a rounded space, teeth usually short, occasionally longer. Rest of edge more or less rounded, a small angle sometimes present at clypeogenal suture, genal angles not prominent. Eye canthus incomplete, but closely approaching occipital edge. Ventral parts of eyes large, globose. Occipital edge not beaded except in plumensis. Labial palpi with second segment about twice as large as the other two, third segment not minute. Mentum subquadrate, the distal edge shallowly emarginate. Prothorax narrower than hind body, about twice as wide as long. Lateral edges basally straight or feebly rounded, distally strongly convergent. Deflexed portion of pronotum deeply excavated anteriorly to receive fore femora. Disc of pronotum convex, usually strongly so, without any median longitudinal sulcus. Posterior angles generally distinct, obtuse. Anterior and lateral edges finely beaded, posterior edge finely beaded or (usually) not beaded. Elytra with eight striae, without pseudepipleura or any carina. Epipleura broad basally. Intervals flat, not separately convex. Hind wings usually fully developed. Mesosternum about four times as wide as long. Mesometasternal suture very obtusely angular, the accompanying elevated edge usually forming a minute posteriorly directed acute angle in middle. Median lobe of metasternum usually broadly margined laterally. Fore tibia with distal edge more or less strongly concave, the inner apical angle, bearing the spur, more or less strongly projecting forward and downward, particularly in male. Outer edge of fore tibia with 2 or 3 small, acute teeth distally, rest of edge serrulate. Middle coxae moderately oblique. Femora without ventral longitudinal carina, the anterior and posterior edges finely beaded. Middle and hind tibiae not dilated apically, but generally broadened ante-apically, without transverse carinae, feebly to moderately curved, with very short spurs. Tarsal segments compressed, subparallel, basal segment of hind tarsus much shorter and a little broader than second segment. Claws seldom dentate, but with angular basal expansion (subdentate). Sternites normal, fifth and sixth connate. Pygidium seldom strongly transverse, fully bordered, often with a depression or groove near base or in middle of disc, sometimes simple. Male genital parameres asymmetrical but not strongly so, the left lobe a little longer.

<==Lepanus Balthasar 1966 CW92
    |--*L. ovatus Balthasar 1966 CW92
    |--L. arator Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. australis Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. bidentatus (Wilson 1922) [=Panelus bidentatus] CW92
    |--L. dichrous (Gillet 1925) [=Panelus dichrous] CW92
    |--L. furcifer Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. gelasinus Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. glaber Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. globulus (Macleay 1887) [=Epilissus globulus] CW92
    |--L. illawarrensis Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. latheticus Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. monteithi Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. niger (Lansberge 1874) [=Epilissus niger] CW92
    |--L. nitidus Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. occidentalis Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. palumensis Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. parapisoniae Matthews 1974 CW92
    |--L. pisoniae (Lea 1923) [=Panelus pisoniae] CW92
    |--L. politus (Carter 1936) [=Panelus politus] CW92
    |--L. pygmaeus (Macleay 1888) [=Temnoplectron pygmaeum; incl. Panelus arthuri Blackburn 1900] CW92
    |--L. ustulatus (Lansberge 1874) [=Epilissus ustulatus] CW92
    |--L. vestitus Matthews 1974 CW92
    `--L. villosus Matthews 1974 CW92

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[CW92] Cassis, G., & T. A. Weir. 1992. Scarabaeinae. In: Houston, W. W. K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 9. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea pp. 106–173. AGPS Press: Canberra.

Matthews, E. G. 1974. A revision of the scarabaeine dung beetles of Australia. II. Tribe Scarabaeini. Australian Journal of Zoology, Supplementary Series 24: 1–211.