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A Revisionary Study of the North American Dermestid Beetles Formerly Included in the Genus Perimegatoma (Coleoptera)
Abstract

In the present revision the genera Dearthrus LeConte, Globicornis Latreille, Pseudohadrotoma Kalík, and Megatoma Herbst are regarded as a monophyletic group within the Anthrenini. The principles by which phylogeny may be reconstructed from neontological evidence are reviewed and applied to the reconstruction of the probable phyletic relationships between the genera. The new monobasic genus Reesa is proposed, based on the parthenogenetic form described as Perimegatoma vespulae Milliron. The phylogenetic position of this genus is questionable, since critical male characters are not present and it possesses larval characters linking it both to Megatoma and Trogoderma Berthold.

Other taxonomic changes are: The subgenus Globicornis (Pseudomesalia) Ganglbauer is synonymized with Dearthrus. The subgenus Pseudohadrotoma is removed from Globicornis and elevated to full generic status. To it are assigned 2 species originally described in Perimegatoma Horn: perversa Fall and falsa Horn. Also assigned to Pseudohadrotoma are 3 new species: kaliki, trichorhopalum, and trogodermoides. The following species that were all previously placed in Perimegatoma are here assigned to Megatoma and shown with the new synonymy discovered: variegata Horn (=jaynei Casey, guadalupensis Casey, nevadica Casey), cylindrica Kirby (=impressa Casey, monticola Casey), ampla Casey, giffardi Blaisdell, and belfragei LeConte. Four new species are described in the genus Megatoma: dolia, leucochlidon, prolixa, and polia.

The genus Globicornis is known in the United States from a single female specimen from Virginia that appears to belong to the subgenus Hadrotoma Erichson. The Nearctic species of Pseudohadrotoma and Megatoma are confined to the western half of the continent with the possible exception of M. belfragei, for which the site of collection has not been determined. One species of Dearthrus is widespread in the Eastern States and the other species occurs in the Pacific States.

Larvae of those species for which the biology is known are general scavengers in nests of bees and wasps, birds, rodents, and spiders, and occasionally feed on insect remains in such situations as bat roosts and stored grain.

Dichotomous keys are provided for both adults and known larvae of all genera of the Anthrenini. Keys to the species are provided for the Nearctic representatives of Dearthrus, Pseudohadrotoma, and Megatoma.

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