Phylogeny of the cantharophilous rhinoceros beetle tribe Cyclocephalini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) based on adult morphology

Cyclocephaline scarab species are pollinators of several early-diverging angiosperm families in tropical forests. Cyclocephaline scarabs lack horns, but have sexually dimorphic characters of the protarsi and elytra involved with mating behavior inside their host inflorescences. This globally distributed rhinoceros beetle tribe currently comprises 15 genera and approximately 500 species. A well-founded phylogenetic framework for the Cyclocephalini is needed to establish the relationship of this tribe to the remaining Dynastinae and advance our knowledge about the evolution of cantharophily and secondary sexual character evolution within the phytophagous scarabs. A phylogenetic analysis of Cyclocephalini based on adult morphological characters was conducted using representatives from all cyclocephaline genera and all tribes of Dynastinae. The evolutionary relationships of cyclocephaline genera and their key morphological traits will be discussed.