British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera |
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Including Catapochrotidae.
Fungus-feeders, Silken Fungus Beetles.
General appearance. 1.3–11 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.48–2.95. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.48–3.6. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases, or distinctly narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width, or distinctly narrower than greatest elytral width. Beetles elongate-oval to elongate; not necked; somewhat waisted. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Beetles without a rostrum; prognathous. Inclination of the head slight. Eyes strongly protuberant, or not strongly protuberant; bristly, or without bristles. Antennae short to about half the insect's head to tail length; (10–)11 segmented. Antennal scape swollen, or not swollen (?). Antennae clubbed. Antennal clubs 3 segmented (loosely). Antennal insertions visible from above, or hidden from above; not in fossae. Prothorax shorter than wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.4–1.5. Prothorax at its widest not markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen; having the front corners produced, or with serrated sides, or with neither produced front corners nor serrated sides. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. Hind corners of the thorax not extended rearwards into sharp points. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. Fore coxal cavites open behind. Hind coxae not shaped posteriorly to receive the femur. Tarsal segmentation formula 5, 5, 5, or 5, 5, 4, or 4, 4, 4. The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments; with a tiny penultimate segment hidden by distal lobing of the fourth and fused to the fifth, or without ‘hidden’ segments. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented. Mid-leg tarsi 4-segmented, or 5-segmented; pentamerous, or pseudotetramerous, or tetramerous. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi simple. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi, or with one segment fewer than the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented (sometimes, in males), or 5-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1–2.1. Elytra exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra with epipleura. Elytral epipleura falling short of the elytral tips (limited to the basal half). Wings well developed, or absent or much reduced. Exposed abdominal sternites 5; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Land-dwellers; not predacious; mycetophagous (generally feeding on fungal material, whatever the habitat; commonly in houses, on moulds associated with damp plaster); in decaying plant material, in rotting wood, in dried plant material, associated with fungi, and on shed fur or feathers.
Larvae. Larvae not predacious; mycetophagous (generally feeding on fungal material, whatever the habitat; commonly in houses, on moulds associated with damp plaster); in decaying plant material, or in rotting wood, or in dried plant material, or in fungi, or in shed fur or feathers. The larvae subcylindrical, whitish, with ocelli and 3-segmented antennae, the abdomen 10 segmented with the tenth constituting a proleg.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Superfamily Cucujoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. About 800 species worldwide. 110 species in Britain; genera in Britain 10; Antherophagus, Atomaria, Coenoscelis, Cryptophagus, Ephistemus, Henoticus, Micrambe, Ootypus, Paramecosoma, Telmatophilus. E.g., Antherophagus pallens (Punctured Antherophagus); Cryptophagus populi (Dark Cryptophagus Fungus-feeder); Paramecosoma melanocephalum.
General comments. Beetles very small, pubescent.
Illustrations. • Antherophagus pallens (Punctured Antherophagus: B. Ent. 546). • Antherophagus pallens: B. Ent. 546, legend+text. • Antherophagus pallens: B. Ent. 546, text cont.. • Cryptophagus populi (Dark Fungus-feeder: B. Ent. 160). • Cryptophagus populi (details, B. Ent. 160). • Cryptophagus populi: B. Ent. 160, legend+text. • Cryptophagus populi: B. Ent. 160, text cont.. • Paramecosoma melanocephalum: B. Ent. 606. • Paramecosoma melanocephalum: B. Ent. 606, legend+text. • Paramecosoma melanocephalum: B. Ent. 606, text cont.. • Antherophagus, Cryptophagus (8 spp.), Micrambe, Paramecosoma, Telmatophilus: Fowler 3, 94 (1889). • Fowler 3, 94 (1889): original legend.. • Atomaria (8spp.), Caenoscelis, Ephistemus (with Mycetophagidae and Scaphiidae): Fowler 3, 95 (1889). • Fowler 3, 95 (1889): original legend.. • Henoticus serratus, Micrambe abietis and M. bimaculatus, with Dryopidae, etc.: Fowler 6, 14 (1913). • Fowler 6, 14 (1913): original legend.. • Telmatophilus sparganii, with Cucujidae, Silvanidae etc.: Fowler 3, 93 (1889). • Fowler 3, 93 (1889): original legend.. • Paramecosoma melanocephalum (Janson 134).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 2nd January 2012. http://delta-intkey.com’.
