240 Volume 14, No.4, December, 2000, INSECTA MUNDI New record for Tesarius Rakovic in South America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae: Psammodiini) The genus Tesarius Rakovic (1981) is an inter­ Bureau of Entomology, Nematology & Plant Patholo­ esting group of wingless, nearly eyeless (yet proba­ gy. bly functionallyblind), sand dune-dwellingscarabs. There are presently 5 species in the genus, T. Literature cited eulcipennis (Lea 1904) from Tasmaniaand 4 species in western North America. One of these native Crowson, R. A. 1981. Beetles in ballast. Nature NorthAmerican species, T. caelatus (LeConte 1857) 289: 441. has been found in Britain (Johnson 1975). The Johnson, C. 1975. Nine species of Coleoptera new genus is reviewed by Rakovic (1981, 1984), who to Britain. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine provides a key to species. 111:177-183. While studying specimens in the collection of Lindroth, C. H.1957. Faunalconnections between Henry Howden, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ot­ Europe and North America. John Wiley and tawa, Canada, I discovered 4 specimens of Tesarius Sons, New York. 334pp. from Chile. After comparing these with specimens Lavalette, F. 1999. A new species of the genus of all NorthAmerican species and with descriptions Geopsammodius from French Guiana (Co­ of T. eulcipennis in Rakovik (1981, 1984), I decided leoptera: Aphodiidae: Psammodiini). Folia Hey­ the Chilean specimens were T. caelatus. In my rovskyana 7(5): 289-292. opinion, they were probably brought to Chile in Lea, A. M. 1904. Descriptions of new species of ships ballast. This dispersal phenomenon is dis­ Australian Coleoptera. Proceedings ofthe Lin­ cussed by Lindroth (1957) and Crowson (1981). naean Society of New South Wales 29:89. These specimens represent a country and continen­ LeConte, J. L. 1857. Reports of exploration and tal record for the genus. Their label data: CHILE: surveys for a railroad route from the Mississip­ Colchagua, Pichilemu, 13-X-1967, L. E. Pena. pi River to the Pacific Ocean. I. Report upon the Tesarius caelatus remains a rarely collected insects collected on the Survey. Proceedings of species, both in NorthAmerica and in Great Britain the Academy of Natural Sciences, Philadelphia (pers. comm. 2001, J. Mate, Natural History Muse­ 12:1-72. um, London). In general, flightless psammodiine Rakovic, M. 1981. Revision of species of the tribe scarabs are rarely collected and poorly known tax­ Psammodiini from the Australian Region (Co­ onomically. Yet, they have extremely interesting leoptera, Scarabaeidae, Aphodiinae). I. Key to habits and tremendous potential for studying zoo­ genera and revision of the generaAphodopsam­ geography and evolution. The only way to collect mobius Endrodi, Psammodius Fallen, Diastic­ them regularly is by sifting the sand they inhabit; tus Mulsant, Phycochus Broun and Tesarius g. which can be labor intensive. However, these bee­ n. Annotationes Zoologicae et Botanicae, Brat­ tles can be very abundant in small areas and once islava 139:1-37. found, can be collected in great numbers. Recent Rakovic, M. 1984. A review of the genus Tesarius survey work for Geopsammodius Gordon and Pitti­ Rakovic (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae,Aphodiinae). no, another flightless psammodiine, has produces Acta Entomologica Bohemoslovaca 81:448-452. no less than 6 undescribed species in the southeast­ ern United States alone. The genus Geopsamrnodi­ Paul E. Skelley, Florida State Collection of us is known to occur as far south as French Guiana Arthropods, Division of Plant Industry, Flor­ (Lavalette 1999), and at present no intervening ida Department ofAgriculture and Consumer populations have been discovered. More sifting is Services. P.O. Box147100 Gainesville,FL32614­ needed to collect psammodines throughout the 7100 USA World. This is Entomology Contribution No. 913,.