A review of Sisyphini dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) endemic to Mauritius: insights from subfossil evidence and phylogenetic analysis
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Five indigenous species of Scarabaeinae are known from Mauritius island, classified into 2 genera: the monotypic Nesovinsonia Martínez & Pereira, 1959 and Nesosisyphus Vinson, 1946. This study conducts a taxonomic review of the latter genus and evaluates its recent extinction using historical and new occurrence records, subfossils, and species distribution model (SDM). We provide the first molecular phylogeny and evaluate the evolutionary relationships of Nesosisyphus by comparing 2 different phylogenetic trees: the first, based on a Ultraconserved Elements dataset, and the second one, on 4 loci (28S, 16S, COI, and CAD). We identify 5 Mauritian Nesosisyphus species, including a new extinct one from a Mid-Holocene (∼4,200 years BP) subfossil. We diagnose, illustrate, and provide an updated key to all the sisyphine species from Mauritius, as well as their occurrence map. The lectotypes and paralectotypes of N. pygmaeus and N. rotundatus are here designated. Our SDM analysis reveals a broader past distribution ranges, now confined to small and disjunct forest patches, likely due to the extensive forest contraction and local extinctions.
Source: Insect Systematics and Diversity
DOI: 10.1093/isd/ixag025
Institutions: University of Helsinki, Finnish Museum of Natural History, World Biodiversity Association, Deakin University, Roma Tre University, Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Natural History Museum, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso, National Museum, University of Pretoria, Walter Sisulu University
Language: English
Subfield: Paleontology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $4,328
Funder: Academy of Finland
OpenAlex ID: W7171834128