Anisocanthon villosus (Harold, 1868)

Cárdenas-Bautista, Johann Stephens, Parada-Alfonso, Jenny Andrea & Carvajal‑Cogollo, Juan E., 2020, Dung beetles (Scarabaeidae, Scarabaeinae) of the Foothills-Andean Forest strip of Villavicencio, Colombia, Check List 16 (4), pp. 821-839 : 824

Anisocanthon villosus (Harold, 1868)

Materials examined. COLOMBIA • 4, 5.60 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda El Carmen, “Las Pesebreras” Farm ; 04°08′24.60″N, 073°39′40.89″ W; 648 m a.s.l.; 18 Oct. 2018; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg.; open pasture; Crplt4; UPTC-In-00018 . • 1♀, 5.60 mm (mean); Meta, Villavicencio, Vereda El Carmen, “Las Pesebreras” Farm ; 04°08′21.97″N, 073°39′48.60″W; 672 m a.s.l.; 29 Apr. 2019; Cárdenas Johann and Parada Jenny leg.; wooded pasture; Crpat 8; UPTC-In-00019 .

Identification. This species can be distinguished from other Anisocanthon species by the bidentate clypeus with a pair of protuberances between the eyes; lateral edge of the pronotum angled towards its anterior medial parts; reddish to copper body with golden and strong setae from head to pygidium in the dorsal view ( Harold 1868a).

Distribution. This species is widely distributed. It has been found in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, and Paraguay ( Pereira and Martínez 1956). In Colombia it is known from the department of Meta ( Medina et al. 2001). This species is associated with disturbed habitats, found in forest remnants, gallery forests, forest edges and cattle pastures with grasses of variable height. The beetles were previously recorded in areas of up to 650 m a.s.l., and for this study area they were found at heights above 700 m a.s.l. This species was rare in the area (55 individuals), and it was mostly found in grasslands that were used for cattle grazing.

Canthon Hoffmannsegg, 1817