British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera |
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Including Cerasommatidiidae, Cerylonidae part, Latridiidae part, Mycetaeidae.
Cellar-beetles, Handsome Fungus Beetles.
General appearance. 2.5–6 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.1–2.53. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.9–6.2. 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 oval to elongate-oval; dorsally somewhat convex to dorsally strongly convex; not necked; somewhat waisted to conspicuously waisted. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; exhibiting stiff, erect, dark bristles, or not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Eyes strongly protuberant, or not strongly protuberant; bristly, or without bristles; coarsely facetted. Antennae short to long, but not exceeding the insect’s head to tail length; 4 segmented, or (8–)11 segmented. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennae gradually expanding towards the apex to clubbed. Antennal clubs 3 segmented. Antennal insertions visible from above, or hidden from above. Prothorax shorter than wide. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.3–1.1. 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 closed behind. Hind coxae not shaped posteriorly to receive the femur. Tarsal segmentation formula 4, 4, 4, or 3, 3, 3 (usually 4 4 4 with a minute third segment, cf. Coccinellidae). The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments; with a tiny penultimate segment hidden by distal lobing of the fourth and fused to the fifth. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented. Mid-leg tarsi 4-segmented; pseudotrimeous. 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; 4-segmented (but the third segment minute, those of cf. the other legs). Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 0.9–1.75. Elytra exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra non-glabrous (sometimes with scattered hairs), or glabrous; with epipleura. Elytral epipleura reaching to the tips of the elytra (or almost). Wings well developed, or absent or much reduced; fringed with long hairs on the hind margin, or not fringed. Exposed abdominal sternites 5–6; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Not predacious; mycetophagous (in fungi on trees, or on moulds); in decaying plant material, in rotting wood, and associated with fungi.
Larvae. Larvae not predacious; mycetophagous (in fungi on trees, or on moulds); in decaying plant material, in rotting wood, and in fungi.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Superfamily Cucujoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. About 1300 species worldwide; genera about 120. 6 species in Britain; genera in Britain 5; Endomychus, Lycoperdina, Mycetaea, Sphaerosoma, Symbiotes. E.g., Endomychus coccineus (Scarlet Endomychus); Lycoperdina bovistae (Puff-ball Beetle); Mycetaea hirta (Hairy Cellar-beetle).
General comments. Moderate-sized, convex, often prettily patterned beetles.
Illustrations. • Endomychus coccineus (Scarlet Endomychus: B. Ent. 570). • Endomychus coccineus (details, B. Ent. 570). • Endomychus coccineus: B. Ent. 570, legend+text. • Endomychus coccineus: B. Ent. 570, text cont.. • Lycoperdina bovistae (Puff-ball beetle: B. Ent. 355). • Lycoperdina bovistae: B. Ent. 355, legend+text. • Lycoperdina bovistae: B. Ent. 355, text cont.. • Mycetaea hirta (Hairy Cellar-beetle: B. Ent. 502). • Mycetaea hirta: B. Ent. 502, legend+text. • Mycetaea hirta: B. Ent. 502, text cont.. • Endomychus, Lycoperdina, Mycetaea, Symbiotes, Sphaerosoma (with Coccinellidae and Erotylidae): Fowler 3, 83 (1889). • Fowler 3, 83 (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’.
