British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera |
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= Serropalpidae; including Tetratomidae part.
False Darkling Beetles.
General appearance. 3–15 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.75–4.45. Elytral length/pronotal length 2.47–5.6. 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 oval to elongate; not necked; not waisted to somewhat waisted. Upper surfaces of body glabrous or subglabrous, or non-glabrous; not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Beetles not prognathous. Eyes not strongly protuberant (not prominent); bristly, or without bristles. Antennae short to long, but not exceeding the insect’s head to tail length; (10–)11 segmented. Antennal scape not swollen. Antennae filiform to gradually expanding towards the apex. Antennal insertions visible from above, or hidden from above; not hidden by lateral extensions of the frons. Mandibular prosthecae well developed. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.4–0.95. Prothorax with neither produced front corners nor serrated sides. 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 5, 5, 4, or 4, 4, 4. The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments, or 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, or one-toothed or bifid. Hind tarsi with one segment fewer than the mid-tarsi; 4-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1.35–3.53. Elytra individually distinctly tapered to their apices; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite; hard. Scutellary striole present, or absent. Elytra non-glabrous (finely hairy); with epipleura. Elytral epipleura reaching to the tips of the elytra, or falling short of the elytral tips (?). Wings well developed. Exposed abdominal sternites 5; all articulated and movable, or comprising both fused and movable components; immovably joined when present, 2. Abdominal segment 8 apparently without functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. Not predacious (?); in living vegetation, in rotting wood, under bark, and associated with fungi (and in old wood).
Larvae. Larvae not predacious (?); on living vegetation, in rotting wood, in or under bark, and in fungi.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Infraorder Cucujiformia; Superfamily Tenebrionoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. About 1200 species worldwide; genera about 100. 18 species in Britain; genera in Britain 11; Abdera, Anisoxya, Conopalpus, Hallomenus, Hypulus, Melandrya, Orchesia, Osphya, Phloiotrya, Xylita, Zilora. E.g., Abdera flexuosa (Banded Hallomenus); Abdera biflexuosa (Double-banded Hyplexus); Conopalpus testaceus; Orchesia undulata (Banded Orchesia Jumping Beetle); Osphya bipunctata (Twin-spotted Nothus, and var.).
General comments. Small to moderately sized, elongate-ovate beetles, bodies finely pubescent.
Illustrations. • Abdera flexuosa Curtis (Banded Hallomenus: B. Ent. 474). • Abdera flexuosa (details, B. Ent. 474). • Abdera flexuosa: B. Ent. 474, legend+text. • Abdera flexuosa: B. Ent. 474, text cont.. • Abdera biflexuosa (Curtis): Double-banded Hyplexus; B. Ent. 255. • Abdera biflexuosa: B. Ent. 255, legend+text. • Abdera biflexuosa: B. Ent. 255, text cont.. • Melandrya dubia (Scarce Melandrya, probably alien): B. Ent. 155). • Melandrya dubia: B. Ent. 155, legend+text. • Melandrya dubia: B. Ent. 155, text cont.. • Orchesia undulata (Banded Jumping-beetle: B. Ent. 197). • Orchesia undulata: B. Ent. 197, legend+text. • Orchesia undulata: B. Ent. 197, text cont.. • Osphya bipunctata (Twin-spotted Nothus, and var.): B. Ent. 538. • Osphya bipunctata: B. Ent. 538, legend+text. • Osphya bipunctata: B. Ent. 538, text cont.. • Abdera (4 spp.), Anisoxya, Conopalpus, Hallomenus, Melandrya (2 spp.), Orchesia (3 spp.): Fowler 5, 146 (1891). • Fowler 5, 146 (1891): original legend. • Hypulus, Osphya, Phloiotrya, Xylita, Zilora (with Salpingidae and Pytho): Fowler 5, 147 (1891). • Fowler 5, 147 (1891): original legend.. • Abdera affinis, with Chrysomelidae and Tenebrionidae: Fowler Suppl. 18, 1913. • Fowler Suppl. 18, 1913: original legend.. • Conopalpus testaceus (Janson157).
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’.
