Combined phylogenetic analysis of two new Afrotropical genera of Onthophagini (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae)

To reveal the relationships of the Afrotropical Onthophagus 32nd group, a combined phylogenetic analysis was used on a matrix of both discrete and continuous morphological characters. The species of the 32nd group do not constitute a homogeneous group, but two distinct and well-isolated clades of generic rank: Hamonthophagus gen. nov. with five species and Morettius gen. nov. with two species, one of which was identified as a new taxon and is described here (i.e. Morettius utete sp. nov.). The Hamonthophagus species were characterized by a wide distribution covering the entire geographical range of Afrotropical grasslands, while the Morettius species were restricted to two distinct areas in central Africa and east Africa. Geographical data were integrated with the phylogenetic results and processed by dispersal-vicariance analysis, which confirmed for both genera an evolutionary and biogeographical history in which the ancestral range was located in the central eastern African region.