British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera | |
Unless indicated otherwise, the following attributes are implicit throughout the descriptions, except where the characters concerned are inapplicable.
General appearance. Beetles not terrapin-like in shape, and without flattened and clear margins to both thorax and elytra; not asymmetrically humped and tapered; without ‘warning colouration’; not luminescent; not conglobulating.
Detailed morphology. Beetles not clicking and ‘jumping’; without a rostrum. The head not covered by the thorax. Eyes present; two; not accommodating the antennae in a notch. The maxillae without a conspicuous galea. The maxillary palps not especially elongated. Antennae not strongly asymmetric; not elbowed; without a much-elongated scape. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennal clubs not lamellate; not comprising two small basal segments and a large terminal one; without a cupule. Antennal segment 8 not smaller than 7 and 9. Prothorax not hooded with anterior bumps. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. Mid-and hind-legs not as in Gyrinidae. Hind coxae movable; not extended laterally to meet the elytra; not shaped posteriorly to receive the femur; not concealing the hind femora; without the steep transverse declivity characteristic of Dryopoidea. The inner parts of the hind coxae not incorporated with the metasternum in a flat, median longitudinal keel. The tarsi without ‘hidden’ segments. The front tarsi present and well developed. Hind tarsi not modified for swimming. Elytra present; not individually tapered; meeting along the length of the mid-line; covering most to all of the abdomen; not iridescent. Wings well developed; not apically rolled; veined; not fringed. The end of the abdomen not extended as a long, narrow point beyond the ends of the elytra.
Adult habitat, ecology. Land-dwellers.
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’.