PROC. ENTOMOL. SOC. WASH. 108(3). 2006, pp. 619-638 STUDY ON THE PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF THE HOPLIIDS (COLEOPTERA: SCARABAEOIDEA) HORTENSIA CaRRILLO-RuIZ AND MiGUEL AnGEL MoRON (HCR) Posgrado en Sistematica. Instituto de Ecologia, A. C. Apartado Postal 63. Xalapa, Veracruz 91000, Mexico, (e-mail: carrillo@posgrado. ecologia. edu.mx); (MAM) Departamento de Entomologia, Instituto de Ecologia. A. C. Apartado Postal 63. Xalapa, Veracruz 91000, Mexico (e-mail: moron_ma(a)ecologia. edu.mx) Abstract. — Hopliids constitute a diverse group with almost cosmopolitan distribution that, according to some authors, has been placed as a tribe of the Melolonthinae or Rutelinae, as a subfamily of Scarabaeidae, or as an independent family. Results of a phylogenetic analysis based on 53 morphological characters of 36 representative species of four subfamilies and 12 tribes of Scarabaeidae (sensii hito), show that the hopliids are an independent, natural group, closely related to some Macrodactylini, and are considered a subfamily of Scarabaeidae. Resunwu. — Los hoplinos constituyen un grupo diverso con distribucion casi mundial, que segun distintos autores se ha situado en los niveles de tribu en los Melolonthinae o Rutelinae o como una subfamilia de Scarabaeidae o como una familia independiente, que requiere de un estudio sistematico integral. Con ayuda de un analisis filogenetico basado en 53 caracteres morfologicos de 36 especies representativas de cuatro subfamilias y 12 tribus de Scarabaeidae (seiisu Into), se propone una hipotesis que demuestra que los hoplinos son una agrupacion natural, independiente, cercanamente relacionada con algunos macrodactilinos y que puede ser considerada como una subfamilia dentro de Scarabaeidae. Key Words: classification. Hoplku Hopliinae. Hopliini. phylogenetic hypothesis, Scarabaeidae The superfamily Scarabaeoidea is one America, the scheme of Endrodi (1966) of the better studied groups of beetles in has been applied for the last 30 years the world but also with a long history of that included five families: Trogidae, changes and proposals about their su-Passalidae, Lucanidae, Scarabaeidae, prageneric classification. Kohlmann and and Melolonthidae. In the past in North Moron (2003) compared 59 proposals America, the classification in use fol-and amendments of classification de-lowed Janssens (1949) that was based on veloped between 1735 and 2001. At three families: Lucanidae, Passalidae, present, three classifications are in gen-and Scarabaeidae, but recently Jameson eral use. The most utilized one in Europe and Ratcliffe (2002) promoted the use of is supported in the proposal of Balthasar the proposal of Lawrence and Newton (1963) who considered the existence of 18 (1995) that included 12 valid families of families. In Mexico and part of Latin Scarabaeoidea in North America.
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