British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera | |
Including Laemophloeidae.
Flat Bark Beetles.
General appearance. 1.3–11 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 2.45–3. Elytral length/pronotal length 2.9–4.75. Base of prothorax 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; not terrapin-like in shape, and without flattened and clear margins to both thorax and elytra; dorsally flattened; not necked; conspicuously waisted. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous; 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; without bristles. Antennae short; 11 segmented. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennae filiform (or sub-moniliform), or clubbed. Antennal insertions visible from above, or hidden from above. Mandibular prosthecae well developed to absent. Prothorax shorter than wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.46–0.85. Prothorax at its widest not markedly narrower than the adjoining part of the abdomen. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. 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 without bilobed segments; with a tiny basal segment that is hard to detect, or without ‘hidden’ segments. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented, or 5-segmented. Mid-leg tarsi 5-segmented; pentamerous. 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, or 5-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1.95–2.4. Elytra exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra glabrous; with epipleura. Elytral epipleura reaching to the tips of the elytra. Wings well developed. Exposed abdominal sternites 5; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Land-dwellers; predacious; under bark.
Larvae. Larvae predacious, or not predacious (?); in rotting wood, or in dried plant material, or in or under bark. The larvae diverse in form.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Superfamily Cucujoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. At least 50 species worldwide (?). 14 species in Britain; genera in Britain 7; Cryptolestes, Dendrophagus (or Silvanidae?), Laemophloeus, Leptophloeus, Notolaemus, Pediacus, Uleiota (or Silvanidae?. E.g., Cryptolestes spartii (Broom Cucujus).
Illustrations. • Cryptolestes spartii (Curtis): Broom Cucujus, B. Ent. 510. • Cryptolestes spartii (details, B. Ent. 510). • Cryptolestes spartii (B. Ent. 510, legend+text). • Cryptolestes spartii (B. Ent. 510, legend+text). • Dendrophagus crenatus, Leptophloeus clematidis, Uleiota planata (with Silvanidae etc.): Fowler 3, 93 (1889). • Fowler 3, 93 (1889): original legend.. • Cryptolestes spartii, Notolaemus unifasciatus and Pediacus depressus, with Lathridiidae: Fowler 3, 92 (1889). • Fowler 3, 92 (1889): original legend..
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’.
