Athlia Erichson, 1835

Smith, Andrew B. T. & Evans, Arthur V., 2018, Taxonomic review of Athliini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae), a new tribe of scarab beetles endemic to South America, Zootaxa 4471 (2), pp. 279-308 : 285

Athlia Erichson, 1835

Athlia Erichson, 1835: 266 . Type species Athlia rustica Erichson, 1835 by monotypy.

Synonym. Rivera Germain, 1903: 392. Type species Athlia plebeja Burmeister, 1855 by monotypy.

Redescription. Length 6.5–17.0 mm. Elongate and robust, widest at about elytral declivity; uniformly pale to medium yellowish brown, or brown or reddish brown; dorsal surface dull, sometimes with a faint, glaucous coating on pronotal and elytral surfaces, or weakly shiny, sometimes faintly iridescent, and with or without short, scattered, and appressed setae. Head: labrum wide, broadly emarginate and evenly reflexed anteriorly, and completely fused to clypeus with labroclypeal suture more-or-less distinct and terminating in small, marginal notches. Mentum longer than wide, narrowly emarginate in front, with sides gradually converging posteriorly. Antennae with 9 antennomeres, club with 3 short, thick lamellae. Pronotum: convex, wider than long, widest medially or slightly behind middle. Elytra: disc of each with four weak and narrow costae, interstriae broad and confusedly punctate. Metathoracic wings fully developed or reduced in size (brachypterous). Abdomen: with lateral carinae on ventrites. Legs: protibia with three apical teeth on outer margin, spur present and shorter than protarsomere 1. Claws symmetrical and incised, with short, bisetose onychium in between. Metatibial apices with spurs set in notch, longest spur reaching half to three-quarter point of metatarsomere 1. Male genitalia: symmetrical parameres simple in form, not split or with strong sinuations, and somewhat shorter than phallobase.

Composition. All seven known species of Athlia are endemic to the southern half of South America.

Remarks. Saylor (1946b) and Martínez (1967, 1974) previously reviewed this genus but a detailed taxonomic inventory of all specimens in collections is needed. We predict that new species of Athlia will be found in southern Brazil and northern Argentina, where endemism is high and specimens are poorly represented in collections.