Bolbocerosoma

Schaeffer, 1906

earth-boring scarab beetles

Species Guides

Bolbocerosoma biplagiatum
Bolbocerosoma bruneri(Bruner's Earth-boring Scarab Beetle)
Bolbocerosoma confusum
Bolbocerosoma elongatum
Bolbocerosoma farctum(Fancy Dung Beetle)
Bolbocerosoma hamatum
Bolbocerosoma lepidissimum
Bolbocerosoma pusillum
Bolbocerosoma ritcheri

Bolbocerosoma is a of earth-boring scarab beetles in the Geotrupidae. The genus contains approximately 13 described distributed across the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. These beetles are part of the Bolboceratinae, tribe Odonteini. The genus was established by Schaeffer in 1906 and has been subject to taxonomic revision by Howden (1955).

Bolbocerosoma bruneri by no rights reserved, uploaded by Robert Pennington. Used under a CC0 license.

Bolbocerosoma farctum by (c) Christopher Zacharias, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Christopher Zacharias. Used under a CC-BY license.

Bolbocerosoma lepidissimum by (c) Gordon C. Snelling, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Gordon C. Snelling. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Bolbocerosoma: //ˌbɒlboʊˌsɛrəˈsoʊmə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of Bolbocerosoma can be distinguished from related by features of the , , and pronotum. The genus is characterized by the presence of odontoid projections on the clypeus and distinctive mandibular structures. Specific identification to level requires examination of male genitalia and detailed morphological features of the pronotum and . The genus is sometimes confused with Bolbocerasoma due to common misspelling in literature.

Images

Distribution

Nearctic and Neotropical regions. The occurs in North America extending into parts of Central America and northern South America.

Similar Taxa

BolbocerasomaThis is a common misspelling of Bolbocerosoma found in some literature sources, not a distinct .
GeotrupesBoth are earth-boring scarab beetles in Geotrupidae, but Bolbocerosoma belongs to Bolboceratinae while Geotrupes is in Geotrupinae; Bolbocerosoma has distinctive odontoid clypeal projections not present in Geotrupes.
EucanthusBoth were revised by Howden (1955) in the same work; Eucanthus lacks the pronounced clypeal projections characteristic of Bolbocerosoma and has different mandibular .

Misconceptions

The name is frequently misspelled as 'Bolbocerasoma' in various sources, including some taxonomic databases. This misspelling has propagated through literature but does not represent a valid alternative name.

More Details

Taxonomic History

The was revised by Henry F. Howden in his 1955 monograph ' and of North American Beetles of the Geotrupinae' published in Proceedings of the United States National Museum. Howden's work remains the primary taxonomic reference for this genus.

Species Diversity

Approximately 13 described are currently recognized in the , though the exact number may vary depending on taxonomic interpretation. Species include B. farctum (Fabricius, 1775), B. tumefactum (Palisot de Beauvois, 1809), B. biplagiatum Dawson and McColloch, 1924, and others.