Phylogenetic and biogeographical review of the Drepanocerina (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Oniticellini)

In the present study, a phylogenetic analysis of Drepanocerina based on 81 morphological characters was conducted using various analytical approaches (i.e., Maximum Parsimony, New Technology Search, Bayesian Inference, and Phylogenetic Networks Analysis). Results confirmed subtribe monophyly, and twelve well-supported lineages ranked at the generic level were resolved, with congruency among the four phylogenetic approaches. Results allowed to propose two new genera, which are herein described as Paraixodina gen. nov. and Epidrepanus gen. nov. In addition, the previously unknown Eodrepanus integriceps and Sinodrepanus similis females were identified and described. Subsequently, a biogeographic analysis was performed based on 14 geographic macro-areas, partitioning the subtribe and outgroup distributional ranges. Based on the inferred phylogeny and biogeography, an ancestral distribution and radiation scenario from the Central East Africa macroarea (Afrotropical Region) was proposed. Subsequently, the biogeographic implications of past and present-day Drepanocerine relationships was discussed.