Eight new species of Deltochilum Eschscholtz, 1822 (subgenus D. Deltohyboma Lane, 1946) from the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and Venezuelan Andes (Coleoptera, Scarabaeinae, plebejum species group)

The Neotropical genus Deltochilum Eschscholtz, 1822, is one of the most speciose genera in the tribe Deltochilini. This genus of dung beetles (Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) is divided into eight subgenera. The subgenus D. Deltohyboma Lane, 1946, with 51 valid species, is the most diverse in the genus and was recently divided into 19 species groups.

This paper presents the description of eight new species from the plebejum species group: Deltochilum tyba sp. nov., D. pseudoabdominale sp. nov., D. parapseudoabdominale sp. nov., D. picachos sp. nov., D. pauxi sp. nov., D. altiventris sp. nov., D. ventripuncturatus sp. nov., and D. nobile sp. nov. These species are distributed along the Eastern Cordillera of Colombia and the Venezuelan Andes, with one species also found in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia).

The lectotype for D. plebejum Balthasar, 1939 is designated herein. Three identification keys (for major males, minor and medium-sized males, and females), along with descriptions, photographs, and distribution maps are presented for all species. Additionally, redescriptions of D. plebejum and D. abdominale Martínez, 1947, originally included in this species group, are presented.

With these new species, the number of valid species in the subgenus D. Deltohyboma reaches 59.