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Megasoma lecontei Hardy is the most rarely collected of all species of Megasoma Kirby, and the female remained undescribed. A description and illustrations of the female of M. lecontei are provided for the first time based on several specimens from near Cabo San Lucas, Baja California Sur, Mexico. A revised key to the Megasoma species occurring in Baja California Sur, Mexico is presented.

The adult scarab beetle fauna of the canopy in a lowland tropical rainforest in southern Venezuela was observed and collected by means of a 42-m-tall tower crane for a complete year. This first census of an entire Amazonian canopy scarab community was embedded within the interdisciplinary research project “Towards an understanding of the structure and function of a Neotropical rainforest ecosystem with special reference to its canopy” organized by the Austrian Academy of Science. The Scarabaeidae represented one of the most species-rich beetle families in the canopy of the crane plot and were therefore selected for a detailed analysis of host-use patterns. Thirty-three species of Scarabaeidae with 399 individuals were recorded, including two species represented by singletons. Subfamilies abundant in the canopy were the Rutelinae, Dynastinae, and Melolonthinae. Species were diurnal or nocturnal flower visitors restricted in their occurrence to their host trees during the flowering season. The scarab beetles remained commonly on one host tree species throughout the entire flowering period and switched to another host tree species only after depletion of food resources. Some species fed on extrafloral nectar but feeding on fruits and leaves was uncommon in the observed species. Most species showed a broad host range, often with abundant species recorded on several host trees. Seven species were found exclusively on one tree species. The co-occurrence of up to five congeneric species sharing the same host trees and diet was conspicuous. With this study, it could be shown how species of Scarabaeidae track available food resources within the canopy of a tropical rainforest.

A new species of Stenocrates Burmeister, 1847 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Cyclocephalini) from Peru is described: Stenocrates lissothorax Ratcliffe and Figueroa.Adescription, diagnosis, distribution, and illustrations of the new species are provided. This represents the 52nd species in the genus, and the 15th species known from Peru.

A new species of the Palaeophileurus Kolbe (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae: Phileurini) is described from Colombia, Ecuador, and Guyana along with supporting illustrations and a diagnosis. A checklist of Palaeophileurus species is included with a new country record for Colombia of Palaeophileurus proximus Dechambre.

Ratcliffe, Brett C., Tirant, Stephane Le (2017): A New Species of Golofa Hope, 1837 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae) from Peru. The Coleopterists Bulletin 71 (4): 781-785, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X-71.4.781, URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1649/0010-065x-71.4.781

Recommendations are provided for best writing and curatorial practices for describing a new species of beetle. These hallmarks of professionalism include constant adherence to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, defining the species concept used, correct grammar and punctuation used in formulating telegraphic species descriptions, curatorial practices for labeling type specimens, describing the holotype and then the variation of any paratypes as opposed to a single description for all of the syntypes, providing an etymology for the specific epithet, and the all-important diagnosis for the new taxon, and the possibilities of having the new species name entered into several widely used scientific databases or indices to increase awareness of the new taxon.

A brief review of the taxonomy and natural history of the New World Oryctini is provided. An updated and annotated checklist of the Oryctini of the Neotropical and Nearctic realms is included. This now includes 14 genera, 133 extant species, and two extinct species. Tehuacania porioni Dechambre, 2009 (Oryctini) is reduced to synonymy with Barutus hartmanni Ratcliffe, 2003 (Pentodontini).

Brett C. Ratcliffe (2011): Atlas Of Japanese Scarabaeoidea. Vol. 3 Phytophagous Group II. The Coleopterists Bulletin 65 (2): 155-156, DOI: 10.1649/072.065.0214

The southern South American genus Hoplopygothrix Schurhoff is augmented with the description of a new species from Bolivia. The genus now contains two species, Hoplopygothrix atropurpurea (Schaum) and Hoplopygothrix boliviensis Ratcliffe, new species. Illustrations accompany the description, and a key is provided to identify the species.

Jameson, Mary Liz, Ratcliffe, Brett C. (2006): In Lieu Of A Gold Watch. The Coleopterists Bulletin (mo5) 60: 5-6, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065X(2006)60[5:ILOAGW]2.0.CO;2

Ratcliffe, Brett C., Hardy, Martin (2005): Collagenus dasysternus, A New Genus And Species Of Dynastinae From Eastern Venezuela With A Key To The New World Genera Of Pentodontini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Dynastinae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 59 (1): 143-150, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x(2005)059[0143:cdanga]2.0.co;2

Oryctoantiquus borealis Ratcliffe and Smith is described as a new genus and new species of fossil dynastine Scarabaeidae from West Branch Creek of the Middle Eocene Clarno Formation (44.6–46.8 Ma) of north-central Oregon, U.S.A. This specimen is the oldest specimen attributable to the subfamily Dynastinae and the largest fossil in the family Scarabaeidae.

Ratcliffe, Brett C. (2002): A checklist of the Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) of Panama. Zootaxa 32: 1-48, DOI: http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.4619710, {"references":["Alberch, P. (1993) Museums, collections and biodiversity inventories. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 8, 372-375.","Anonymous (1974) Trends, priorities, and needs in systematic and evolutionary biology. Systematic Zoology, 23, 416-439.","Anonymous (1981) Annual report to Congress. President's Council on Environmental Quality. U.S. Government Printing Press, Washington, D.C.","Blackwelder, R.E. 1944. Checklist of the coleopterous insects of Mexico, Central America, the West Indies, and South America. Bulletin of the U.S. National Museum 185: 189-341.","Blackwelder, R.E. and R.H. Arnett, Jr. 1974. Checklist of the beetles of Canada, United States, Mexico, Central America, and the West Indies. Volume 1, part 3, the scarab beetles, ant-loving beetles, clown beetles, and related groups (red version). The Biological Research Institute of America, Latham, NY. Sections numbered separately.","Hardy, A.R. 1975. A revision of the genus Pelidnota of America north of Panama (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae; Rutelinae). University of California Publications in Entomology 78: 1-43.","Hawks, D. C. 2001. Taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in Chrysina and a synonymic checklist of species (Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae). Occasional Papers of the Consortium Coleopterorum 4: 1-8.","Howden, H.F. 1964. The Geotrupinae of North and Central America. Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada No. 39: 1-91.","Howden, H.F. 1968. A review of the Trichiinae of North and Central America (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada No. 54: 1-77.","Howden, H. F. and B. D. Gill. 2000. Tribes of New World Ceratocanthinae, with keys to genera and descriptions of new species (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Sociobiology 35:281-329.","Howden, H.F. and O.P. Young. 1981. Panamanian Scarabaeinae: taxonomy, distribution, and habits (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 18: 1-204.","Jameson, M. L. 1998. Phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe Rutelina and revision of the Rutela generic groups. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 14: 1-184.","Janzen, D. 1987. Insect diversity of a Costa Rican dry forest: why keep it, and how? Biological Journal of the Linnaean Society 30: 343-356.","Moron, M.A. 1990. Rutelini 1: Plusiotis - Chrysina - Chrysophora - Pelidnotopsis - Ectinoplectron. The Beetles of the World 10: 1-145.","National Research Council. 1980. Research priorities in tropical biology. National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C. 116 pp.","National Science Board. 1989. Loss of biological diversity: a global crisis requiring international solutions. National Science Board Report 89-171: 1-19.","Quintero, D. and A. Aiello. 1992. Insects of Panama and Mesoamerica. Selected Studies. Oxford University Press, Oxford, England. 692 pp.","Ratcliffe, B. C. 1991. The scarab beetles of Nebraska. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 12: 1-333.","Ratcliffe, B.C. (in press). The dynastine scarab beetles of Costa Rica and Panama. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum.","Ratcliffe, B. C. (in press). Chapter 37-V. Subfamily Dynastinae MacLeay 1819, the Rhinoceros Beetles. In, Arnett, R. H. and M. Thomas (eds.), American Beetles: A Handbook of the Beetles of Nearctic America. CRC Press.","Soula, M. 1998. Revision des Anthicheirina (sic) 1. Les Coleopteres du Monde 26: 1-116.","Wilson, E. O. 1992. The Diversity of Life. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA. 424 pp."]}

Ratcliffe, Brett C., Ocampo, Federico C. (2001): Tyrannasorus rex Ratcliffe And Ocampo, A New Genus And Species Of Miocene Hybosorid In Amber From The Dominican Republic (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Hybosoridae). The Coleopterists Bulletin 55 (3): 351-355, DOI: 10.1649/0010-065x(2001)055[0351:trraoa]2.0.co;2