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The Palaearctic species of Aphodius Hellwig, 1798, subgenus Liothorax Motschulsky, 1860 are revised using a combination of chromosome analysis, molecular phylogenetics and morphological statistical analysis. Sixteen species are recognised, one of which is shown to comprise two subspecies. Based mainly on the morphology of the aedeagal endophallus and the phylogenetic analysis, they are placed in two groups: the. niger group, apparently monophyletic, comprising Aphodius (Liothorax) niger Illiger, 1798, A. (L.) muscorum (Ádám, 1994), stat. rest., A. (L.) felix sp. nov., A. (L.) bellumgerens sp. nov., A. (L.) bameuli sp. nov., A. (L.) krelli sp. nov., A. (L.) isikdagensis (Balthasar, 1953), A. (L.) alberti sp. nov. and A. (L.) wilsonae Maté et Angus, 2005, stat. rest.; and the plagiatus group, almost certainly paraphyletic, comprising A. (L.) plagiatus (Linnaeus, 1767), including A. (L.) p. plagiatus and A. (L.) p. sinoplagiatus subsp. nov., A. (L.) rodrigoi sp. nov., A. (L.) discoides A. Schmidt, 1916, stat. rest., A. (L.) rutilipennis (Baudi di Selve, 1870), stat. rest., A. (L.) chellala sp. nov., A. (L.) kraatzi Harold, 1868, and A. (L.) rusakovi Gusakov, 2004. A key to the species is given as well as details of their morphology, distributions, and habitats.

A lectotype is designated for the Tibetan species Deronectes emmerichi Falkenström, 1936 (Currently Boreonectes emmerichi (Falkenström)), and its habitus, as well as the median lobe and parameres of its aedeagus, are figured along with additional comparative material. Material of B. emmerichi from Sikkim (BMNH) represents the first record of a Boreonectes Angus, 2010 species from India. The karyotype of B. emmerichi is described as having 26 pairs of autosomes plus sex chromosomes which are X0 (♂), XX (♀). The karyotype is most like that of B. macedonicus (Géuorguiev, 1959), but with slight differences. Additional chromosomal information is given for B. griseostriatus griseostriatus (De Geer, 1774) in the French Alps, B. g. strandi (Brinck, 1943) on the Kola Peninsula, B. multilineatus (Falkenström, 1922) in the Pyrenees and B. ibericus (Dutton & Angus, 2007) in the Spanish Picos de Europa.