Documentation of herpetofaunal species richness in Tripura, northeast India

Abstract

Herpetofaunal biodiversity in a particular area determine the quantitative and qualitative data of habitat modifications because of their receptive nature. Hilly terrain, undulating slopes and valleys with semi-evergreen to moist deciduous forests of Tripura form heterogeneous habitats for rich herpetofaunal diversity, although it is inadequately documented from the state. In the present communication, 55 species of herpetofauna was recorded belonging to 39 genera and 15 families. Out of which, 18 species were snakes, 17 species of lizards, 3 species of turtles and 17 species of amphibians. Twenty six species are new record for the state. Twenty four species were enlisted in IUCN Red List category. Habitat preference and existing threats in the state from anthropogenic activities were also mentioned.

Full text

*Corresponding Author: Mrs. K .V. Geetha, Assistant Professor, Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory, Department
of Zoology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar-799022, West Tripura, India., Email: geethanandukumar@gmail.com 411
International Journal of Zoology and Applied Biosciences
ISSN: 2455-9571
Volume 3, Issue 5, pp: 411-422, 2018
http://www.ijzab.com
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1471738
Research Article
TAXONOMY OF SCARABAEIDAE (INSECTA: COLEOPTERA) OF
TRIPURA, NORTH EAST INDIA
K.V. Geetha* and B. K. Agarwala
Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of Zoology, Tripura University,
Suryamaninagar 799022, West Tripura, India
Article History: Received 15th August 2018; Accepted 27th August 2018; Published 25th October 2018
ABSTRACT
Beetles of the family Scarabaeidae, commonly known as dung or rhinoceros beetles, can be easily identified by their
lamellate or clubbed antennae and stout body. These insects are very important, ecologically and economically, both. They
act as nature’s scavengers and enrich the soil by recycling human feces and dung of animals in the soil. Some of the beetles
are plant eaters, and are serious pests of agriculture, forestry and fruit trees. This study reports 19 species of scarab beetles
belonging to 17 genera under 13 tribes and 5 subfamilies from the state of Tripura, north east India. These include 9
species and 12 genera as new reports from the state. Taxonomic keys for the identification of subfamilies, tribes, genera
and species are provided by studying the morphological characteristics of the specimens that were collected from different
locations of the state.
Keywords: Scarabaeidae, Taxonomic keys, New records, Tripura, Northeast India.
INTRODUCTION
Scarabaeidae is one of the largest families of Coleoptera
belonging to the super family Scarabaeoidea
(Lamellicornia) commonly known as dung or rhinoceros
beetles, and can be easily identified by their characteristic
lamellate antennae and stout body. The family contains
about 30000 species under 2000 genera from the world
(Chandra et al., 2012; Jameson & Moron, 2001). Sharma
et al. (2002) were reported 2500 species from the Indian
sub-region.
The beetles are economically important as some of
them are serious pests of agriculture, forest and fruit trees
whereas others act as nature’s scavengers by feeding on
dung and decaying vegetative and animal matters. A large
number of beetles of this family are nocturnal in habit and
hide during the day time and few are diurnal. They are
found all over the world but are very common in tropics.
The knowledge of Indian Scarabaeidae is based mainly on
the contributions by Arrow (1917), Arrow (1910),
Balthasar (1963), Bhattacharyya et al. (1997), Biswas &
Chatterjee (1987), Brenske (1898), Chatterjee et al. (2007)
and Mittal, (1993) who worked on the scarabeids of
Arunachal Pradesh, Silent valley in Kerala, Meghalaya,
Nilgiri Biosphere reserve, Orissa, West Bengal, Meghalaya,
Manipur, and Mizoram. Chandra (2000, 2002, 2008 &
2009) and Chandra & Gupta, (2012) made substantial
contributions to the Scarabeidae fauna of India based on
studies in Madhya Pradesh.
Compared to the knowledge about the scarabs in other
parts of India, there is little information on scarabs of
Tripura. Based on a collection made till 1984, Chandra
(2008) reported 34 species under 12 genera belonging to 4
subfamilies from the state but it was not possible to validate
that report in the absence of specimens of that study. Also,
that report did not provide taxonomic note or photographic
evidence of the reported taxa. The aim of this study,
therefore, was to explore different locations in the state of
Tripura to expand the knowledge regarding the taxonomy
and diversity of scarab beetles. Diagnostic characters and
taxonomic key for the identification of different taxa are
included.

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
412
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Live specimens were collected from different locations of
the Tripura state by using white light trap and by hand
picking from weeds, cow dung or soil. Collected specimens
were kept in killing jars lined in the bottom by plaster of
Paris containing potassium cyanide to kill insects. In the
laboratory, all the specimens were washed thoroughly in
water to remove dirt. Specimens were individually pinned
using stainless steel insect pins and kept in an incubator at
35˚Celsius until these were dried. Pinned specimens were
labeled with details of collection locality, scientific names,
dates of collection and host plant, if known, and then
transferred to insect boxes for preservation.
The specimens were studied under stereo zoom
microscope (Leica model M 205C) for morphology,
morphometry, photography, and their identification.
Photographs were taken through microscope-mounted
digital camera (Leica model DFC 295) and Canon DSLR
camera depending on the size of individual specimens.
Specimens were identified using the key characters
provided by Arrow, (1917)and Arrow, (1931). Voucher
specimens of the reported species are preserved in the
Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratories, Department of
Zoology, Tripura University.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
A total of 50 specimens were collected and examined in
this study (Table 1). Taxonomic study of the specimens
revealed that these belonged to at least 19 species under 17
genera, 13 tribes and 5 subfamilies. These included 9
species and 12 genera reported here as new records from
the state of Tripura. These are denoted by single asterisk
(*) and double asterisks (**), respectively (Table 2). The
remaining 11 species and 5 genera were previously
reported by Mukherjee et al. (2004).
Table 1. Names of collection locations and number of specimens collected from each location.
Districts
Collection location
No. of specimens
West Tripura
Amtali
04
Bhubanban
01
Icchachandanagar
10
Suryamaninagar
10
Agartala
10
Indranagar
07
Lankamura
01
North Tripura
Dharmanagar
01
Sepahijala
Sepahijala
01
Sonamura
01
South Tripura
Trishna Wild Life Sanctuary
02
Dhalai
Ambasa
02
Total
50
Table 2. Subfamilies, tribes, genera and species of the Scarabaeidae collected from Tripura.
Subfamily
Tribe
Genus
Species
1. Scarabaeinae
1. Gymnopleurini
1. Paragymnopleurus*
1.sinuatus**
2. Coprini
2. Catharsius
2. molossus
3. sagax
3. Heliocopris
4. bucephalus
3. Oniticellini
4. Oniticellus
5. cinctus
4. Onitini
5. Onitis
6. falcatus
5. Onthophagini
6.Onthophagus*(Digitonthophagus)
7. gazelle**
Onthophagus(Onthophagus)
8. quadridentalus**
7. Caccobius*
9. sp
2. Cetoniinae
6. Cetoniini
8. Protaetia*
10.fusca**
7. Taenioderini
9. Coilodera*
11.mearesi**
10. Ixorida*
12. mouhoti**
3. Dynastiinae
8. Dynastini
11. Xylotrupes
13.gideon
9. Oryctini
12. Oryctes*
14. rhinoceros**

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
413
4. Melolonthinae
10. Sericini
13. Maladera*
15. castanea**
11. Melolonthini
14. Apogonia*
16. sp
15. Leucopholis*
17. sp
5. Rutelinae
12. Anomalini
17. Anomala*
18. spp
13. Adoretini
16. Adoretus*
19. compressus**
Taxonomic key to the subfamilies of the family
Scarabaeidae
Spiracles in the posterior segments of the abdomen situated
on dorsal side of the segments -2
Spiracles in the posterior segments of the abdomen situated
on the lateral sides of the segments; hind tibiae with one
spur each; middle coxae widely separated –Scarabaeinae
2. Labrum membranous, not visible -3
Labrum sclerotised, visible - 4
3. Mandibles not visible, fore coxaevertical -Cetoniinae
Mandibles visible, fore coxae transverse - Dynastinae
4. Claws unequal - Rutelinae
Claws equal - Melolonthinae
Subfamily Scarabaeinae (Latreille, 1802)
Diagnosis: Body oval or oblong, rather depressed to highly
convex; antennae 8- or 9-segmented, antennal club consists
of three closely compact segments; scutellum very minute,
sometimes absent; elytra covering the body, sometimes
excised behind shoulders; middle tibiae with 1-2 terminal
spur, hind tibiae with a single terminal spur. The world
fauna of the subfamily Scarabaeinae includes
approximately 5000 described species under 234 genera.
Taxonomic key to the tribes of subfamily Scarabaeinae;
Elytra emarginated on lateral margins; middle tibiae with
single terminal spur; antennae 9-segmented; middle coxae
obliquely placed - Gymnopleurini
Elytra never emarginated on lateral margins; middle tibiae
with single or double terminal spurs; antennae 8- or 9-
segmented; middle coxae parallel or slightly convergent in
front - 2
Antennae always 9-segmented; elytra with 9 striae, 9th one
close to epipleural carina - Coprini
Antennae always 8-segmented; elytra with 8 striae, 8th one
close to epipleural - Onticellini
Basal pits on pronotum round, oblique or elongate;
scutellum clearly visible - Onitini
Basal pits on pronotum absent; scutellum not visible
- Onthophagini
Tribe Gymnopleurini(Lacordaire, 1856)
Diagnosis: The side edge of each elytron of the beetles of
this tribe has a characteristic shape that exposed the
underlying pleural sclerites; the fore tibiae bear a terminal
spur, four tibial teeth, and tarsi; the middle and hind tibiae
are mostly long and thin. The tribe comprises of about 110
species fewer than 4 genera.
Genus Paragymnopleurus(Shipp, 1897)
Diagnosis: Body broad and rather depressed, hind part
narrowed; clypeus with anterior margin bi-lobed; elytra
rather flat with sides deeply excised on the sides, exposing
the sides of the body beneath.
Paragymnopleurus sinuatus (Olivier, 1789)
Diagnosis: Body black or very dark coppery black; club of
antenna bright yellow; clypeus acutely notched in the
middle and produced into an acute or rounded tooth on
each side; pronotum is feebly convex, lateral margins
abruptly angulated in the middle and nearly straight to the
front; long slender legs, front tibia armed with three acute
teeth placed close together in the terminal third of the tibia,
remaining two thirds finely serrate; in males hind tibia
strongly curved at its extremity.
Material examined: 1♂, coll. Majumder, 09.viii. 2013, cow
dung, Bhubanban, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Chattisgarh, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu,Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and
West Bengal (Figure 1).
Tribe coprini (Leach, 1815)
Diagnosis: It comprises of shiny black, medium to large
bodied beetles averaging 9.5 mm to 30 mm long. This tribe
is known by 400 species under 10 genera from the world
(Chandra & Gupta, 2013).
Taxonomic key to the genera of tribe Coprini
First segment of antennal club entirely pubescent
-Catharsius
First segment of antennal club shining not pubescent
-Heliocopris.

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
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Genus Catharsius (Hope, 1837)
Diagnosis: Supplementary lateral carina present in place of
8thstriae upon each elytrum; additional transverse carina
present at the outer edges of the middle and the hind tibiae;
scutellum absent.
Taxonomic key to the species of genus Catharsius,
Head with a small smooth area adjoining each eye
- molossus
Head without smooth area adjoining each eye - sagax
Catharsius(Catharsius)molossus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Diagnosis: Body broadly oval and strongly convex, black
and partially clothed with reddish hair beneath; head broad,
ocular lobes densely and coarsely granular with a small
smooth shining area adjoining inner margin of each eye; a
median horn present in males; pronotum densely granulate
with a sharp declivity in front and its upper surface forms a
sharp ridge, weakly convex in the middle.
Material examined: 1♂, coll. T. Das, 08.iii.2006, light trap,
Shanmura, Lankamura, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Andaman and Nicobar
islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chattisgarh,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya
Pradesh, Meghalaya, Orissa, Sikkim, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, and West Bengal (Figure 2).
Catharsius(Catharsius) sagax(Quenstedt, 1806)
Diagnosis: Body black, broad, oval, partially clothed with
reddish hair beneath; head broad, clypeus transversely
rugose, ocular lobes densely and coarsely granular,
cephalic horn present; pronotum granulate; elytra finely
and lightly striate, rugose.
Material examined: 2 adults ♀♀, coll. Sinha, 06.vii.2015,
soil, Suryamaninagar, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chattisgarh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal; elsewhere: Bhutan (Figure 3).
Genus Heliocopris(Hope, 1837)
Diagnosis: Large and broad body; pronotum lateral fringes
stiff and erect, with rough surface and a complete basal
groove; scutellum absent; fore coxae prominent, middle
coxae long, opposite mid-coxae not widely separated,
nearly parallel.
Heliocopris bucephalus(Fabricius, 1775)
Diagnosis: Body broad, about quadrate in shape; head
rather small, male with a slender, pointed, slightly curve
horn at centre; pronotum opaque and rough, unevenly
rugose, with a sharp straight carina in the front, feebly
toothed at each end; elytra black, shining, with lower
surface usually deep red; legs and parts of lower surface
covered with reddish hairs.
Material examined: 1adult ♂, coll. Sinha, 06.vii.2015, soil,
Ichachandanagar, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Bihar, Chattisgarh,
Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal;
elsewhere: Myanmar, Malay Peninsula and Java (Figure 4).
Tribe oniticellini (Kolbe, 1905)
Diagnosis: Members of this tribe are characterized by the
presence of 8-segmented antennae and a small visible
scutellum; body eongate, usually quasi-rectangular, but
tapering posterior.
Genus Oniticellus(Servillet, 1825)
Diagnosis: Body elongated; head short and broad;
scutellum present; elytra rather flat, not completely
covering the abdomen; legs stout.
Oniticellus (Oniticellus)cinctus(Fabricius, 1775)
Diagnosis: Body oblong-oval, not very convex; head
without carina and upper surface smooth and shining with a
slight metallic green luster; pronotum smooth, with a deep
median longitudinal line on posterior half; elytrum pale
yellow, deeply striate; males with clypeus weakly excised
in the middle of the front edge.
Material examined: 2 adults ♂♂, coll. Sinha, 04.vi.2016,
light trap, Suryamaninagar, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Chattisgarh, Haryana,
Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil
Nadu, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal
(Figure 5).
Tribe onitini (Laporte, 1840)
Diagnostic characters: The members of this tribe are
adapted for tunneling in soil; antennae nine segmented;
scutellum is present; fore tibiae with four teeth.
Genus Onitis(Fabricius, 1798)
Diagnosis: Body deep colored, oblong in shape; head not
very broad; pronotum with basal impressions, scutellum
small; front tarsi absent.
Onitis falcatus(Wulfen, 1786)
Diagnosis: Body black or nearly black, with a clothing of
reddish yellow hairs upon the legs and lower surface; head
smooth and shining; pronotum finely punctured, without a
well-marked median groove or line, the base strongly
rounded but not distinctly lobed; elytra and
pygidiumsubopaque; males - front tibiae elongate and each
armed with four short external teeth.

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
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Material examined: 2 adults ♂♂, coll. Barman, 17.ii.2007,
cow dung, Sepahijala, Sepahijala district, Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh,
Assam, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka, Meghalaya, Manipur,
Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar
Pradesh, and West Bengal; elsewhere: Bangladesh, Malaya
Peninsula, Philippine Island and South China (Figure 6).
Tribe onthophagini (Burmeister, 1846)
Diagnosis: Antenna always 9-segmented; scutellum
invisible; fore tibiae with four teeth; species separation is
based on horns, ridges and clypeal indentation on head,
sculpturing of pronotal disc, and on punctuation or
granulation of head, thorax and abdomen. The tribe
includes over 2200 species distributed in 40 genera, of
which 345 species are so far reported from the Oriental
region.
Taxonomic Key to the genera of Tribe Onthophagini
Head provided with horns or tubercles; four posterior tarsi
not broadly dilated -Onthophagus
Head without horns; four posterior tarsi broadly dilated
- Caccobius
Genus Onthophagus (Latreille, 1802)
Diagnosis: Very small to large species of extremely varied
form and colour; body smooth or clothed with hairs or
setae; clypeus fused with the ocular lobes and variable in
shape (round, bi-lobed or acuminate in front); scutellum
absent.
Taxonomic key to the species of the genus
Onthophagus(Latreille, 1802); A pair of blunt processes
present on the smooth pronotum; elytra pale -gazella
A pair of short pointed horns present on hind margin of
clypeus; elytra dark -quadridentalus
Onthophagus (Digitonthophagus) gazelle (Fabricius,
1787)
Diagnosis: Body darkish yellow, broadly oval and convex,
smooth and moderately shining, with a thin clothing of
yellow setae present on legs and lower surface; female
without horns, instead with a transverse ridge, males with 2
short, upward curving horns at base (from literature; front
of pronotum vertical in the middle and forming a pair of
strong, slightly divergent, blunt processes in females;
scutellum absent; elytra brown, finely striate with intervals
flat and impunctate.
Material examined: 1♀, collSinha, 09.viii.2015, cow dung,
Tuisangma, North Tripura
Geographical distribution: India: Andhra Pradesh,
Chattisgarh, Delhi, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Punjab,
Rajasthan, and Tamil Nadu; elsewhere: Africa, Arabia,
Madagascar, Pakistan and Srilanka (Figure 7).
Onthophagus(Onthophagus)quadridentalus(Fabricius,
1798)
Diagnosis: Body black, smooth and shining, broadly oval
and moderately convex; antennae and mouth parts yellow;
clypeal margins evenly rounded and strongly reflexed,
separated from fore head by a slight rounded carina and
hind margin having a pair of horns in males; pronotum
finely and sparsely punctuate; elytralstriae closely
punctuate; tarsi reddish.
Material examined: 2 adult ♂♂, coll. U.D. Barman,
17.ii.2007, light trap, Ambasa, Dhalai district.
Geographical distribution: India: Arunachal Pradesh,
Bihar, Chattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal; elsewhere:
Sri Lanka (Figure 8).
Genus Caccobius (Thomson, 1863)
Diagnosis: Body short and compact, convex, nearly
metallic colored; scutellum absent; front angles of the
thorax have a deep hollow beneath; legs short, front tibia
very short and broad, with terminal tooth projected straight
and forming a right angle with the inner edge of the tibia;
males may be armed with a single short horn, a pair of
horns, or they may be entirely without armature
Caccobius sp.
Diagnosis: Body black coloured, small, oval, compact and
moderately convex; pronotum finely punctate; each elytron
with red spots on the upper portion near the outer margin.
Material examined: 1 adult♀, coll. Sinha, 08.vi.2015, light
trap, Suryamaninagar, West Tripura. (Figure 9)
Subfamily Cetoniinae Leach, 1815
Diagnosis: Body somewhat flattened, cephalic horns
absent; mandibles and labrum weakly developed, hidden by
clypeus; antennae 10-segmented, antennal insertions visible
from above; pygidium exposed; tarsal claws simple (not
forked), and nearly of equal size.
Taxonomic key to the tribes of Cetoniinae
Mesosternal epimera dilated above, reaching the dorsal
surface -Cetoniini
Mesosternal epimera not dilated above, not reaching the
dorsal surface -Taenioderini
Tribe Cetoniini Leach,1815
Diagnosis: Pronotum without baso-median lobe, scutellum
visible; meso-epimeron distinct; meso - and meta-sternal
protrusions developed; elytra glabrous, with post-humeral
emargination distinct.
Genus Protaetia(Burmeister, 1842)
Diagnosis: Body elongate, gradually narrowed posteriorly;
elytra with distinct pale markings, apical spines in male.

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
416
Protaetia fusca(Herbst, 1790)
Diagnosis: Body broad oval, dorso-ventrally flattened;
colour dull dark grey-brown to black; clypeus broad,
anterior margin entire; elytra with distinct pale markings;
front tibia of males with 2 external teeth.
Material examined: 1♂, coll. A. Majumder, 07.vii.2015,
light trap, Indranagar, West Tripura.
Geographical Distribution: India: West Bengal, Assam;
elsewhere: Australia, Burma, Hawaii, Malaysia, Mauritius,
Philippines, Thailand, Hong Kong (Figure 10).
Tribe Taenioderini Miksic,1976
Diagnosis: Base of the pronotum forming ridges; meso-
sternalepimera not dilated; elytra broad in the front and
tapering towards the apex.
Taxonomic key to the genera of tribe Taenioderini
Pronotum triangular, yellow, with two transverse ridges
dividing it into three parts -Coilodera
Pronotum rounded, black, with a yellow band in the middle
placed longitudinally -Ixorida
Genus CoiloderaHope, 1831
Diagnosis: Pronotum triangular in shape, yellow, with two
transverse ridges dividing it into three parts.
Coilodera mearesi(Westwood, 1842)
Diagnosis: Elytra with several yellow spots, two pairs of
light yellow spots present adjoining the elytral suture, a pair
of bright yellow spots at the tip of the elytra, a series of 5
very small yellow spots at the margins of elytra; pygidium
entirely yellow.
Material examined: 1 adult (sufficient literature not
available to identify the sex), coll. D.L.Laskar,
TrishnaWLS, 16.v.2010, hand -picked from weeds.
Geographical distribution: India: Assam, Tripura;
elsewhere: Nepal, Thailand (Figure 11).
Genus IxoridaThomson, 1880
Diagnosis: Pronotum rounded in shape, black, with a
yellow median band traversinglongitudinally reaching the
scutellum.
Ixorida mouhoti(Wallace, 1868)
Diagnosis: Pronotum somewhat rounded, with middle
yellow band and lateral black bands; elytra two lateral spots
on each side; two yellow patches joined in the middle of
the sutural line of elytra; pygidium yellow.
Material examined: 1 adult (sexual characters not distinct in
the specimen), coll. P.P. Bhattacharjee, 6.v. 2010,
TrishnaWLS, handpicked from weeds.
Geographical distribution: India: Tripura; elsewhere: Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam (Figure 12).
Subfamily Dynastinae MacLeay,1819
Diagnosis: Usually black, very rarely brown; males have
very prominent horns on the head and thorax; clypeus small
and the eyes less prominent; scutellum present; elytra
completely cover the abdomen; all the coxae are contiguous
in the middle.
Taxonomic key to the tribes of subfamily Dynastinae
Basal joint of hind tarsus similar to those succeeding
- Dynastini
Basal joint of hind tarsus more or less triangular -Oryctini
Tribe Dynastini MacLeay,1819
Diagnosis: Males bear horns, females hornless; elytra
coriaceous (leather-like) in both sexes; combined lengths of
fore tibia and fore tarsus longer in males than in female,
posterior tarsal segments cylindrical, basal segment with
strong apical spine.
Genus Xylotrupes Hope, 1837
Diagnosis: Body ovate, moderately convex in shape, with
slender legs; clypeus bi-dentate; pronotum acute at the front
and obtuse behind; front tibiae strongly tridentate; middle
and hind tibia armed externally with strong spines; tarsi
simple.
Xylotrupes gideon(Linnaeus, 1767)
Diagnosis: Large sized beetles, uniformly chestnut red or
brown; head, pronotum and legs darker; sternum and hind
coxae clothed with a fine pubescence; sex dimorphism
prominent - females generally darker; head and
pronotumrugose, coarsely punctured; males with large
bifurcate horns projecting both from the head and the
pronotum, females without horns.
Material examined: 1♂ and 1♀, coll. Sinha,
03.iv.2015&13.v.2016, light trap, Agartala, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Assam, Kerala,
Maharashtra, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, West Bengal;
elsewhere: Sri Lanka (Figure 13).
Tribe oryctini Mulsant,1842
Diagnosis: Posterior tarsal segments (especially first or
second) triangularly expanded; combined lengths of fore
tibia and fore tarsus similar in both sexes.
Genus Oryctes (Illiger, 1798)
Diagnosis: body usually convex dorsally, elongate and
somewhat cylindrical to oblong and weakly flattened forms
also found.

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
417
Oryctes rhinoceros (Linnaeus, 1758)
Diagnosis: Body black with lower surface reddish and
clothed with a short pubescence; pronotum as broad as
long; scutellumrugose, with a smooth outer margin; middle
tibiae much shorter than the hind ones.
Material examined: 1♀, coll. Sinha, 13.iv.2016, light trap,
Agartala, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: West Bengal,
Maharashtra, Tamilnadu; elsewhere: Burma, Thailand,
Indonesia, Philippines, Hong Kong, Korea and Taiwan
(Figure 14).
Subfamily Melolonthinae (Leach, 1819)
Diagnosis: It is the largest subfamily of Scarabaeidae with
750 genera and 11000 species recorded worldwide. They
are dull brown or black in colour with rounded body; some
are shiny, many with bristles or scales; antennae 9 to 10
segmented ending in a unilateral club of 3 or more
segments; head usually unarmed, labrum externally visible,
mandibles partly concealed; scutellum present; margins of
elytra straight; tarsal claws equal, not strongly curved, fore
tibiae flattened with 1 to three dentitions on outer edge.
Taxonomic key to the tribes of Melolonthinae
1. Tarsal claws tri-dentate; elytra smooth; body covered
with scales - Leucopholini
Tarsal claws bi-dentate or paired; elytra striate -2
2. Antennae 10-segmented - Sericini
Antennae 8- or 9-segmented - Diplotaxini
Tribe sericini (Kirby, 1837)
Diagnosis: Body strongly ovate, without bristles or scales;
labrum fused with clypeus; coxae conical interiorly,
widened posteriorly; 1 spur each on the hind tibiae near the
basal tarsal segment.
Genus Maladera(Mulsant and Ray, 1871)
Diagnosis: Small sized beetles; tan brown or reddish brown
in colour; pronotum unarmed; bi-dentate for tibia; antennae
10-segmented, with terminal end 3-segmented loose
lamellate club; front of clypeus flattened, with long and
thin hairs; mid-coxae widely separated; hind femur and
tibiae broad and flat with cleft claws.
Maladera castanea(Arrow, 1913)
Diagnosis: Light chestnut red colour beetles; dorsal surface
not setose; head vertex with backward projecting hairs;
elytral margins straight; front tibia of female more robust
than in male, hind tibia wide.
Material examined: 2 adults (sexual characters were not
distinct in the specimens), coll. S. Akter, 9.vii.2015,
Indranagar, West Tripura, light trap.
Geographical distribution: India: Rajasthan, Gujarat,
Punjab, Bihar, Maharashtra, Mysore, Tripura; elsewhere:
Korea, China, Russia, US, Japan (Figure 15).
Tribe Diplotaxini (Kirby, 1837)
Diagnosis: Medium sized beetles;antennae 8 to 9
segmented; mouth parts greatly reduced, except for
maxillary palps, labrum globular, not visible in dorsal view,
located below the clypeus; abdominal segments 1 to 4
approximately equal in length, abdominal segment 5 twice
as long as other segments; sixth sternite partially or
completely retracted within 5thsternite; meta-femora
widened, swollen; meta-tibiae expanded towards apex;
tarsal claws paired.
Genus Apogonia(Kirby, 1819)
Diagnosis: Body convex, black; head, pronotum and elytra
covered with extremely short and poorly visible setae;
labrum entirely covered by clypeus; eyes large; pronotum
transverse, convex, base broader than apex; scutellum
present; elytra striate, interstices irregularly punctate; fore
tibia tri-dentate; claws equal in size.
Apogonia sp
Material examined: 1 adult, coll. Barman, 17. V.2015, light
trap, Dharmanagar, North Tripura
Taxonomic note: Females generally are larger in size than
in males; pygidium is less convex than males. Since these
characteristics can only be compared if enough specimens
are available, so assigning the sex of this specimen was not
possible (Figure 16).
Tribe Leucopholini Burmeister,1855
Diagnosis: Large sized beetles; elytra without stria; tarsal
claws tri-dentate; body covered with scales.
Genus Leucopholis(Dejean, 1833)
Diagnosis: Body ovoid to pear shaped; variously colored;
pronotum with anterior and posterior margins smooth; eyes
prominent; body covered with scales; meso-sternal spine
and pro-sternal processes present;pygidiumbroader than
longand broadly triangular; females larger than males on an
average, hind tibial spurs broad and spatula like whereas in
males they are spine like and pointed.
Leucopholis sp.
Material examined: 1 adult (♂) coll. Suman, 02.vi.2017,
Amtali, West Tripura (Figure 17).
Subfamily Rutelinae (Macleay, 1819)
Diagnosis: Elongated to oval, often shiny; scutellum
present; anterior coxae transverse, middle tibia with two
apical spurs; hind legs unequal, with independently
movable tarsal claws; pygidium exposed.
Taxonomic key to the tribes of subfamily Rutelinae

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
418
Labrum horizontally produced with respect to clypeal apex,
distinctly separated from clypeus - Anomalini
Labrum vertically produced with respect to clypeal apex
and more or less fused to clypeus - Adoretini
Tribe Anomalini (Blanchard, 1851)
Diagnosis: Extremely varied in their outward form and
brilliantly coloured; antennae 9-segmented; clypeus
broadly rounded or semicircular, sometimes narrowly
produced and snout like, a little excised in the middle;
pronotum broadly lobed or narrowly excised in the middle;
elytra with membranous border at lateral margin;legs stout
or slender, front tibiae with one, two or three external teeth.
Genus Anomala (Samoulle, 1819)
Diagnosis: Small to medium- size, slightly oval shaped and
convex; antennae 9-segmented; body surface extremely
smooth and shining; pronotum not pubescent; labrum
horizontal, not visible from above; pronotum transverse,
slightly lobed and never excised in front of scutellum;
elytra with shallow striations and punctures, rather
translucent along sides; front tibia with two external teeth,
apical tooth long and de-curved in both sexes.
Anomala spp.
Material examined: 1adult, 03.vii.2016, Amtali, West
Tripura; 1 adult, coll. Geetha, 04.vii.2017,
Ichachandanagar, West Tripura; 2 adults, coll. Mrityunjoy,
20. vii. 2016, Ichachandanagar, West Tripura.
Taxonomic note: Generally for different species of
Anomala male and female can be identified by observing
the difference in the structure of last abdominal segment
and last segment (tarsomere) of the foreleg. Here the
characteristics are not much pronounced and due to lack of
information regarding any other diagnostic features used to
identify the sex it is not possible to assign the sex of the
specimen (Figure 18a, b and c).
Tribe Adoretini (Burmeister, 1844)
Diagnosis: Small sized beetles, dull colored, body covered
with a clothing of short hairs or setae on both surfaces;
labrum produced downwards, rectangular or triangular
shape with respect to clypeal apex, mandibles separate,
maxillae nearly fused to clypeus.
Genus Adoretus (Laporte, 1840)
Diagnosis: Body elongate, oval, setose; eyes large sized;
hind legs comparatively longer than the other two legs.
Adoretus compressus (Weber, 1801)
Diagnosis: Body elongate, oval; brownish with numerous
distinctive, cream –white setae; front tibia with 3 teeth at
lateral margin; last sternite of female with apex rounded
posteriorly, weakly quadrate in male.
Material examined: 7 adults (3♀, 4♂), coll. Babai,
02.vi.2016, Indranagar, West Tripura.
Geographical distribution: India: Tripura, West Bengal;
elsewhere: Sri Lanka, Malaysia, Mauritius, Thailand,
Indonesia and Papua New Guinea (Figure 19).
Figure 1. Paragymnopleurus sinuatus (adult male).
Figure 2. Catharsius(Catharsius) molossus (adult male).
Figure 3. Catharsius (Catharsius) sagax (adult female).
Figure 4. Heliocopris bucephalus (adult male).

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
419
Figure 5. Oniticellus (Oniticellus) cinctus (adult male).
Figure 6. Onitis falcatus (adult male).
Figure 7. Onthophagus (Onthophagus) gazelle (adult
female).
Figure 8. Onthophagus (Onthophagus) quadridentalus
(adult male).
Figure 9. Caccobius sp. (adult female).
Figure 10. Protaetia fusca (adult male).
Figure 11. Coilodera mearesi (adult sex not specified).
Figure 12. Ixorida mouhoti (adult sex not specified).

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
420
Figure 13a. Xylotrupes gideon (adult male).
Figure 13b. Xylotrupes gideon(adult female).
Figure 14. Oryctes rhinoceros (adult female).
Figure 15. Maladera castanea (adult sex not specified).
Figure 16. Apogonia sp. (adult sex not specified).
Figure 17. Leucopholis sp. (adult male).
Figure 18a. Anomala sp. (adults sex not specified).
Figure 18b. Anomala sp. (adults sex not specified).

K.V. Geetha and B.K.Agarwala Int.J. Zool. Appl. Biosci., 3(5), 411-422, 2018
421
Figure 18c. Anomala sp. (adults sex not specified).
Figure 19. Adoretus compressus (adult male).
DISCUSSION
Members of the family Scarabaeidae are distributed world-
wide with the maximum species richness and diversity
recorded from the tropical parts of the world on both sides
of the equator. Indian fauna of the family is known by
about 2500 species. In comparison to the knowledge that is
available from several parts of India, very little information
was available from the State of Tripura in northeast India.
This study resulted in the recording of 21 species from a
collection of 50 specimens, that is, an average of 1 species
for every 2.38 specimens. This is very interesting and
suggests that there could be a large number of species of
this family that await collection and identification. Among
the recorded species, the subfamily Scarabaeinae is
represented by highest number of species (9 species),
followed by the subfamily Rutelinae (4 species), the
subfamilies Cetoninae and Melolonthinae is represented by
3 species each, and the subfamily Dynastinae by 2 species.
The species in the subfamily Scarabaeinae are scavengers
(mostly dung eater) whereas the species belonging to the
subfamilies Rutelinae, Cetoninae, Melolonthinae and
Dynastinae are phytophagous.
CONCLUSION
A taxonomic study of the family Sacarbaeidae from Tripura
has resulted in the find of 21 species,17 genera, 13 tribes
and 5 subfamilies. These include 9 species as new records
from the state.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The authors express sincere thanks to the head of the
Ecology and Biodiversity Laboratory, Department of
Zoology, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar for the
facilities provided to carry out this research work.
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