British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera |
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~Cryptophagidae.
General appearance. 1–1.3 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 2.4–2.6. Elytral length/pronotal length 2.2–2.5. Base of prothorax distinctly narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width distinctly narrower than greatest elytral width. Beetles elongate; not necked; conspicuously waisted; dull black. Upper surfaces of body non-glabrous; not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Eyes not strongly protuberant; without bristles; coarsely facetted. Antennae short; 11 segmented; clubbed. Antennal insertions visible from above. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.95–1.1. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. Tarsal segmentation formula 4, 4, 4. The tarsi without bilobed segments; without ‘hidden’ segments. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 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; 5-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1.6–1.8. Elytra covering most to all of the abdomen; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite; truncate; dull. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra non-glabrous. Wings well developed; fringed with long hairs on the hind margin. Exposed abdominal sternites 5; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Land-dwellers; associated with dung.
Larvae. Larvae in dung.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Superfamily Cucujoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. 1 species worldwide (to several?); genera 1 (Hypocoprus). 1 species in Britain; genera in Britain 1; Hypocoprus. E.g., H. latridioides.
General comments. Seemingly restricted to the northern hemisphere, and poorly known. Unwin’s citation of tarsi as 4,4,4 is contradicted by Lawrence et al.
Illustrations. • Hypocoprus latridioides (from Joy). Hypocoprus latridioides. • Hypocoprus latridioides: Fowler 3, 93 (1889).
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’.
