Belongs within: Melolonthinae.
Automolius is an Australian genus of chafers in which the elytra are shortened, leaving at least part of the last two abdominal segments exposed.
Characters (from Britton 1957, as Automolus): Antennae seven-, eight- or nine-segmented, including a three-segmented club; elytra more or less shortened, not reaching pygidium, part or whole of propygidium exposed; abdomen without a longitudinal ridge on each side; tergite and ventrite of propygidium fused at sides; whole body clothed with rather regularly arranged semierect setae; female usually with a bare shining area on each elytron near apex on outer side; posterior tibia rather slender, moderately expanded to apex with a slight setose ridge on upper side.
<==Automolius Britton 1978 [=Automolus Burmeister 1855 non Reichenbach 1853]HW92
|--*A. angustulus (Burmeister 1855)HW92 (see below for synonymy)
|--A. brooksi (Britton 1957) [=Automolus brooksi]HW92
|--A. brunneus (Lea 1917) [=Automolus brunneus]HW92
|--A. compactus (Blackburn 1898)HW92 [=Caulobius compactusHW92, Automolus compactusB57]
|--A. cookii (Macleay 1886)HW92 [=Liparetrus cookiiHW92, Automolus cookiB57]
|--A. depressus (Blanchard 1850)HW92 (see below for synonymy)
|--A. evanescens (Blackburn 1898)HW92 [=Caulobius evanescensHW92, Automolus evanescensB57]
|--A. fulgineus (Britton 1957) [=Automolus fulgineus]HW92
|--A. funereus (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus funereus]HW92
|--A. granulatus (Blackburn 1888)HW92 [=Liparetrus granulatusHW92, Automolus granulatusB57]
|--A. hispidus (Macleay 1886)HW92 (see below for synonymy)
|--A. humilis (Blanchard 1850)HW92 (see below for synonymy)
|--A. immitis (Blackburn 1906)HW92 [=Caulobius immitisHW92, Automolus immitisB57]
|--A. irrasus (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus irrasus]HW92
|--A. maechidioides (Macleay 1886)HW92 (see below for synonymy)
|--A. major (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus major]HW92
|--A. nanus (Britton 1957) [=Automolus nanus]HW92
|--A. opaculus (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus opaculus]HW92
|--A. ordinatus (Macleay 1886)HW92 [=Liparetrus ordinatusHW92, Automolus ordinatusB57]
|--A. phoxus (Britton 1957) [=Automolus phoxus]HW92
|--A. pictus (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus pictus]HW92
|--A. poverus (Blanchard 1850)HW92 [=Liparetrus poverusHW92, Automolus poverusB57; incl. L. striatipennis Macleay 1886HW92]
|--A. pygmaeus (Burmeister 1855)HW92 [=Liparetrus pygmaeusHW92, Automolus pygmaeusB57]
|--A. rotundus (Blackburn 1906)HW92 [=Caulobius rotundusHW92, Automolus rotundusB57]
|--A. semitifer (Blackburn 1906) [=Automolus semitifer]HW92
|--A. sordidus (Britton 1957) [=Automolus sordidus]HW92
|--A. sulcatus (Britton 1957) [=Automolus sulcatus]HW92
|--A. tridentifrons (Lea 1917) [=Automolus tridentifrons]HW92
|--A. valgoides (Blanchard 1850)HW92 [=Liparetrus valgoidesHW92, Automolus valgoidesB57]
`--A. vulgaris (Britton 1957) [=Automolus vulgaris]HW92
*Automolius angustulus (Burmeister 1855)HW92 [=*Automolus angustulusHW92; incl. Liparetrus alpicola Blackburn 1892HW92, Automolus alpicolaB57, L. burmeisteri Macleay 1886HW92, Automolus burmeisteriB57]
Automolius depressus (Blanchard 1850)HW92 [=Liparetrus depressusHW92, Automolus depressusB57; incl. L. bicolor Blackburn 1888HW92, Automolus melancholicus Lea 1917HW92]
Automolius hispidus (Macleay 1886)HW92 [=Liparetrus hispidusHW92, Automolus hispidusB57; incl. L. aureus Blackburn 1888HW92, Automolus aureusB57]
Automolius humilis (Blanchard 1850)HW92 [=Liparetrus humilisHW92, Automolus humilisB57; incl. L. concolor Macleay 1864 non Erichson 1842HW92, Automolus propygidialis Lea 1917HW92, L. unicolor Masters 1871HW92]
Automolius maechidioides (Macleay 1886)HW92 [=Liparetrus maechidioidesHW92, Automolus maechidioidesB57, Caulobius maechidioidesB57]
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B57] Britton, E. B. 1957. A Revision of the Australian Chafers (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) vol. 1. British Museum (Natural History): London.
[HW92] Houston, W. W. K., & T. A. Weir. 1992. Melolonthinae. In: Houston, W. W. K. (ed.) Zoological Catalogue of Australia vol. 9. Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea pp. 174–358. AGPS Press: Canberra.