Frolov, A. V. & Akhmetova, L. A. 2016. Revision of the subgenus Orphnus (Phornus) (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae, Orphninae). European Journal of Taxonomy 241: 1–20

The Afrotropical subgenus Phornus Paulian of the genus Orphnus Macleay is revised and currently comprises six species. Four new species are described: Orphnus renaudi, Orphnus valeriae,Orphnus ferrierei,and Orphnus parastrangulatus. The subgenus is characterized by the coarse stridulatory field, sclerotized plate on the second abdominal sternite near plectrum, absence of the pronotal lateral processes in males, rounded apices of the parameres and endophallus without armature, although some of these characters differ in O. giganteus. Symphysocery is reported for the first time for members of the Orphninae. In O. giganteus, the majority of specimens have malformed antennomeres. Four of the six species of Phornus are brachypterous and all species except for O. giganteus Paulian are known only from males. A key to Phornus species and a map of their localities are provided.

Frolov, A. V. & Akhmetova, L. A. 2015. Rediscovery of the enigmatic Stenosternus costatus Karsch (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae) from São Tomé island. Zootaxa, 4007, 440–444.

Stenosternus Karsch, 1881 is one of the least-known genera of the Orphninae scarab beetles. It was described from a single specimen of the odd-looking S. costatus Karsch, 1881, from the island of São Tomé, Gulf of Guinea, West Africa. Since then, no more findings of S. costatus have been reported... We discovered additional specimens of both sexes of S. costatus housed in the Museo Civico di Genova, Genova, Italy (MCGI) and California Academy of Sciences, San Francisco, California, United States of America (CASC). In this note we describe a female of S. costatus and discuss the species distribution and the taxonomic position of the genus.

Frolov, A.V., Grossi, P.C., Vaz-De-Mello, F.Z. 2015. A new species of the genus Aegidium (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) from the Atlantic Forest ecoregion in South America. Zootaxa, 4007 (3), 437–439.

The New World genus Aegidium Arrow comprises mid-sized to rather large beetles belonging to 12 species. The genus is distributed up to southern Mexico in the north (Morón 1991) and A. cribratum chileanum Paulian was described from Chile, but Aegidium has not been recorded southeast of the Amazonia. An interesting discovery was made by one of us (P.C.G.) who collected one male Aegidium specimen in the Atlantic forest patch near Nova Friburgo (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil) — the area separated from the yet known range of the genus by vast territories occupied by the Cerrado biome. Examination of this specimen showed that it belongs to an undescribed species and differs sharply from the other congeners in the shape of its aedeagus.

Frolov, A.V., Montreuil, O. 2006. Description of the male of the rare Madagascan species Pseudorphnus hiboni with notes on the genus Pseudorphnus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae). Zootaxa, 1154: 27-33. 

Abstract — A male of Pseudorphnus hiboni Paulian is described from material recently collected in Ranomafana National Park (eastern Madagascar). The species is compared with the two other known species of the genus. Notes on biology and distribution are given.

Frolov, A.V. 2014. Revision of the genus Delopleurus Boheman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae) with description of new species from Africa. Journal of Natural History, 49: 1-25. 

The genus Delople​urus Erichson, 1847, is revised. Five new species are described from Africa: Delopleurus naviauxi sp. nov., Delopleurus krikkeni sp. nov., Delopleurus darrenmanni sp. nov., Delopleurus fossatus sp. nov. and Delopleurus pubescens sp. nov. One new synonymy is established (Delopleurus parvus (Sharp, 1875) = Delopleurus cardoni Paulian, 1934, syn. nov.). Lectotype of Delopleurus pullus Boheman, 1857, is designated. Delopleurus janssensi Frey, 1963, is transferred to the genus Metacatharsius Paulian, 1939. A key to the Delopleurus species and locality maps are given.