| Heteronyx | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Scarabaeiformia |
| Family: | Scarabaeidae |
| Tribe: | Heteronychini |
| Genus: | Heteronyx Guérin-Méneville, 1831 |
| Synonyms | |
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Heteronyx is a genus of beetles in the family Melolonthidae found in Australia and Melanesia.
The genus has been challenging for scientists, because many species are very similar in appearance. Thomas Blackburn described most of the Australian species, using the key he devised to separate the species. Arthur Mills Lea spend years working on a revision of the genus, but eventually gave up. It was not until 2000 that E. B. Britton published a revision of the genus, in which he synonomised 111 of the total of 353 described Australian species. Britton states that the aim of his revision was to establish synonymies and to make identifiable the valid species so far described. This would make a future full revision of the genus possible and would also make it possible to describe the numerous species that are yet undescribed.