Rhyparus Westwood, 1845

Skelley, Paul E. & Minkina, Łukasz, 2025, Review of the Rhyparini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Aphodiinae) of eastern Melanesia and Polynesia, with descriptions of new species, Zootaxa 5632 (1), pp. 115-137 : 127

Rhyparus Westwood, 1845

Rhyparus Westwood, 1845: 93 . Type species: Rhyparus desjardinsi Westwood, 1845: 93 , by monotypy.

Diagnosis. Member of Rhyparini , with pronotal costae, hastate posterior prosternal process and distinctly modified elytra apex with bulbs and trichome. Body elongate, weakly to more distinctly parallel-sided body Pronotal lateral margin with anterior and median lobes present. Elytral costae raised and intervals flattened (distinctly different); caudal bulb present, if divided into small lobes, trichome not divided. Metaventrite surface smooth, lacking distinct discal fovea on either side of midline. Male mesotibia and metatibia with inwardly directed apical spine ( Rhyparus - type tibia: see Skelley 2007).

Comments. Rhyparus , as presently understood, is a diverse pantropical genus. Many members can be collected at light, others from leaf litter. Those that come to light can be common in collections because of this behavior. Their habits are poorly known and new, localized species are being discovered frequently (e.g., Skelley & Smith 2024; Minkina et al. 2025), especially in these remote, under sampled, island nations, and when more focused sampling techniques are used, e.g., litter extractions. The Rhyparus species discussed in this paper belong to more widespread complexes of species that require detailed revisionary work.