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Deltochilini (or Canthonini) is a
tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
of
scarab beetles The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 30,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several sub ...
, in the
dung beetle Dung beetles are beetles that feed on feces. Some species of dung beetles can bury dung 250 times their own mass in one night. Many dung beetles, known as ''rollers'', roll dung into round balls, which are used as a food source or breeding cha ...
subfamily (
Scarabaeinae The scarab beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae consists of species collectively called true dung beetles. Most of the beetles of this subfamily feed exclusively on dung. However, some may feed on decomposing matter including carrion, decaying fruits a ...
). Members of this group vary widely in size (2–33 mm long) and shape, but were thought to be derived from an ancient ball-rolling lineage. The outer edges of the front
tibiae The tibia (; ), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the tibia); it connects ...
have less than four teeth. The grouping based on these characteristics has, however, been found to have little
phylogenetic In biology, phylogenetics (; from Greek φυλή/ φῦλον [] "tribe, clan, race", and wikt:γενετικός, γενετικός [] "origin, source, birth") is the study of the evolutionary history and relationships among or within groups o ...
validity, and the placement of several genera in the tribe is likely to change.


Taxonomy

There has been some controversy regarding the valid name for this tribe. Deltochilini is the senior name, and has precedence under the ICZN, but in 2006, Smith suggested that the name Canthonini, though junior, might be preserved under Code Article 35.5, which can be used to preserve junior names if they are higher in taxonomic rank than the senior names of constituent taxa.Smith, A.B.T. (2006) A Review of the Family-group Names for the Superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with Corrections to Nomenclature and a Current Classification. The Coleopterists Bulletin, 60:144-204. However, this Article does not apply when two names are competing for the same taxonomic rank (as in this case, both being used at the rank of tribe), so this conclusion has been reversed by subsequent classifications, restoring Deltochilini as the valid name. The tribe comprises about 800 species in 120 genera: They constitute a high proportion of the dung beetle diversity in many parts of the world; more than 35% of the genera in the Americas, Australia, Madagascar and many islands. However, in the Afro-Eurasian regions, they make up less than 20% of the genera.


Genera

* '' Agamopus'' * '' Aleiantus'' * '' Aliuscanthoniola'' * '' Amphistomus'' * '' Anachalcos'' * '' Anisocanthon'' * '' Anomiopus'' * '' Anonthobium'' * '' Aphengoecus'' * '' Apotolamprus'' * '' Aptenocanthon'' * '' Apterepilissus'' * '' Arachnodes'' * '' Aulacopris'' * '' Baloghonthobium'' * '' Bohepilissus'' * '' Boletoscapter'' * '' Byrrhidium'' * '' Caeconthobium'' * '' Cambefortantus'' * '' Canthochilum'' * '' Canthodimorpha'' * '' Canthon'' * '' Canthonella'' * '' Canthonidia'' * '' Canthonosoma'' * '' Canthotrypes'' * '' Cephalodesmius'' * '' Circellium'' * '' Coproecus'' * '' Cryptocanthon'' * '' Deltepilissus'' * '' Deltochilum'' * '' Diorygopyx'' * '' Drogo'' * '' Dwesasilvasedis'' * '' Endroedyolus'' * '' Epactoides'' * '' Epilissus'' * '' Epirinus'' * '' Eudinopus'' * '' Falsignambia'' * '' Gyronotus'' * '' Hammondantus'' * '' Hansreia'' * '' Holocanthon'' * '' Ignambia'' * '' Janssensantus'' * '' Lambroma'' * '' Lepanus'' * '' Macropanelus'' * '' Madaphacosoma'' * '' Malagoniella'' * '' Megathopa'' * '' Megathoposoma'' * '' Melanocanthon'' * '' Mentophilus'' * '' Monoplistes'' * '' Namakwanus'' * '' Nanos'' * '' Nebulasilvius'' * '' Nesovinsonia'' * '' Ochicanthon'' * '' Odontoloma'' * '' Oficanthon'' * '' Onthobium'' * '' Outenikwanus'' * '' Panelus'' * '' Paracanthon'' * '' Parvuhowdenius'' * '' Peckolus'' * '' Penalus'' * '' Phacosomoides'' * '' Pseudignambia'' * '' Pseudocanthon'' * '' Pseudonthobium'' * '' Pseudophacosoma'' * '' Pycnopanelus'' * '' Saphobiamorpha'' * '' Saphobius'' * '' Sauvagesinella'' * '' Scybalocanthon'' * '' Scybalophagus'' * '' Sikorantus'' * '' Silvaphilus'' * '' Sinapisoma'' * '' Sphaerocanthon'' * '' Streblopus'' * '' Sylvicanthon'' * '' Tanzanolus'' * '' Temnoplectron'' * '' Tesserodon'' * '' Tesserodoniella'' * '' Tetraechma'' * '' Vulcanocanthon'' * '' Xenocanthon'' * '' Zonocopris''


Ecology

Most species are
coprophagous Coprophagia () or coprophagy () is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the grc, κόπρος , "feces" and , "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of ...
, but some feed on carrion, others on
fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...
, and the smaller species may utilize leaf litter (
saprophagous Saprotrophic nutrition or lysotrophic nutrition is a process of chemoheterotrophic extracellular digestion involved in the processing of decayed (dead or waste) organic matter. It occurs in saprotrophs, and is most often associated with fungi ( ...
). They are largely diurnal.


References

* * Beetle tribes {{Scarabaeinae-stub