Passalidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) of the Biogeographical Province of Chocó and the West Andean Region of Colombia, with the Description of Two New Species.

Abstract

We present a synopsis of the Passalidae of the Chocó biogeographical province and the western slopes of the Western Andean range of Colombia as a result of field collections, examination of entomological collections, and review of the literature. We record a total of 41 species, provide an identification key, and, for the 39 species for which we were able to examine specimens, include a diagnosis and collecting data. Two new species of Passalus (Pertinax) are described and illustrated. The species of this region compose 42% of the passalid species known for Colombia. The richness of species and the high degree of endemism (34%) indicate the faunistic importance of this area, which is closely related to the fauna of lowland Central America.