Coprini
{{short description|Tribe of beetles}}
{{automatic taxobox
| image = Copris sacontala Redtenbacher, 1848 male (4134135516).jpg
| image_caption = Male Copris sacontala
| taxon = Coprini
| authority = Kolbe, 1805
}}
Coprini is a tribe of scarab beetles, in the dung beetle subfamily (Scarabaeinae). Scholtz et al.{{cite book|last=Scholtz|first=Clarke H.|last2=Davis|first2=Adrian L. V.|last3=Kryger|first3=Ute|title=Evolutionary biology and conservation of dung beetles|date=2009|publisher=Pensoft Pub.|location=Sofia-Moscow|isbn=978-954-642-517-1}} describe them as tunnellers that are shiny black, of moderate to large size (9–30 mm long) and with a strongly convex shape. They also, however state that the grouping based on these characteristics has little phylogenetic validity, and the placement of several genera in this and related tribes is likely to change.
Taxonomy
Genera
These genera belong to the tribe Coprini:
{{Div col|colwidth=22em}}
- Canthidium Erichson, 1847
- Catharsius Hope, 1837 (Africa and Asia)
- Chalcocopris Burmeister, 1846 (Brazil)
- Copridaspidus Boucomont, 1920 (Africa)
- Copris Geoffroy, 1762 (cosmopolitan, introduced into Australia and Hawaii)
- Coptodactyla Burmeister, 1846 (Australia, Melanesia)
- Dichotomius Hope, 1838 (southern USA to South America)
- Heliocopris Hope, 1837 (tropical Africa, southeast Asia)
- Holocanthon Martínez & Pereira, 1956
- Holocephalus Hope, 1838 (southern Brazil, Paraguay)
- Isocopris Pereira et Martínez (Brazil)
- Litocopris Waterhouse, 1891 (Africa)
- Macroderes Westwood, 1876 (South Africa)
- Metacatharsius Paulian, 1939 (Africa)
- Ontherus Erichson, 1847 (Central and South America)
- Parachorius Harold, 1873
- Pseudocopris Ferreira, 1960 (Angola, Congo, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe)
- Pseudopedaria Felsche, 1904 (tropical Africa)
- Synapsis Bates, 1868
- Thyregis Blackburn, 1904 (Middle and southeast Asia)
- Xinidium Harold, 1869 (South Africa)
{{Div col end}}
Ecology
Most species are nocturnal. They are predominantly coprophagous, but some are necrophagous. Dung is rapidly buried in shallow tunnels and then used for nest construction in deeper tunnels.
References
{{Reflist|refs=
{{Cite web| title=Coprini Report
| url=https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=926262
| website=Integrated Taxonomic Information System
| accessdate=2019-01-06
}}
{{Cite web
| accessdate = 2019-01-06
| title = Synopsis of the new subtribe Scatimina (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae: Ateuchini), with descriptions of twelve new genera and review of Genieridium, new genus
| date = 2008
| last1 = Vaz-de-Mello | first1 = Fernando Zagury
| url = https://www.researchgate.net/publication/252320665_Synopsis_of_the_new_subtribe_Scatimina_Coleoptera_Scarabaeidae_Scarabaeinae_Ateuchini_with_descriptions_of_twelve_new_genera_and_review_of_Genieridium_new_genus
}}
| accessdate = 2019-01-07
| title = A Worldwide Checklist of the Tribes and Genera of Aegialiinae, Aphodiinae, Termitotroginae, Aulonocneminae, Scarabaeinae, and Coprinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae)
| date = 2018
| last1 = Mathison
| first1 = Blaine A.
| last2 = Hardy
| first2 = Martin
| last3 = Bezdek
| first3 = Aleš
| last4 = Schoolmeesters
| first4 = Paul
| url = http://coleoptera.org/p735.htm
| archive-date = 2019-01-07
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20190107124458/http://coleoptera.org/p735.htm
| url-status = dead
}}
}}