Boletín de la Sociedad Entomológica Aragonesa (S.E.A.), nº 47 (2010) : 71‒126. REVISION OF THE GENERA TINIOCELLUS PÉRINGUEY, 1901 AND NITIOCELLUS GEN. N. (COLEOPTERA, SCARABAEIDAE, ONITICELLINI) Tristão Branco Rua de Camões, 788, 2º Dto, P-4000-142 Porto, Portugal −
[email protected] Abstract: The taxonomical history of the genus Tiniocellus Péringuey, 1901 and the 10 species-group names that have been associated with it is reviewed, and the reasons that justify the creation of Nitiocellus gen. n. for Oniticellus panthera Boucomont, 1921 and Oniticellus collarti Janssens, 1939, are explained. The taxonomy of the Oniticellini is briefly reviewed and a key is provided for the separation of Tiniocellus and Nitiocellus gen. n. from all the other genera currently ranged in the tribe. The synonymies of Oniticellus variegatus Fåhraeus, 1857 and Oniticellus humilis Gerstaecker, 1871 with Tiniocellus spinipes (Roth, 1851) are confirmed. The Asian Tiniocellus imbellis (Bates, 1891) and the African Tiniocellus setifer (Kraatz, 1895) are rehabilitated as good species. Oniticellus modestus Arrow, 1908 is synonymised with T. imbellis, and Tiniocellus asmarensis Balthasar, 1968 with T. spinipes. Three Afrotropical species, one of them containing two subspecies, are described: T. praetermissus sp. n. from western Africa, T. dolosus sp. n. from eastern, central and western Africa, T. eurypygus sp. n. from South Africa, the nominotypical subspecies from the uplands west of the Drakensberg mountain range, and T. eurypygus transdrakensbergensis ssp. n. from the lowlands east of the same mountain range. Keys are provided to the species and sub- species of Tiniocellus, and to the species of Nitiocellus gen. n. For this study 4,628 specimens were examined, including the name-bearing types of all the species-group names, except that of T.