Superfamily Cucujoidea Higher classification Coccinelloidea Order Beetle | Rank Family | |
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Similar Cerylonidae, Biphyllidae, Corylophidae, Sphindidae, Beetle | ||
Bothrideridae is a family of beetles in the suborder Polyphaga. They are known commonly as the cocoon-forming beetles or dry bark beetles. They occur worldwide with most native to the Old World tropics.
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Description
These beetles are 1.4 to 12 millimeters long as adults. They generally have very elongated bodies, some over 4 times longer than wide. They may be cylindrical or somewhat flattened. They are yellow to black in color, some with various patterning and some with red spots. They are hairless to slightly hairy or scaly in texture. The antennae have 9 to 11 segments and are usually club-shaped at the tips. Larvae are up to 18 millimeters long and are elongate in shape.
Biology and ecology
Most beetles in this family live under tree bark. Species in the subfamily Anommatinae live in the soil, especially the compost-rich upper layer and organic litter.
The larvae of some species are ectoparasitoids of other insects, including other woodboring beetles, wood wasps, and carpenter bees. These species feed on their host insects; non-parasitic species generally feed on fungi.
Diversity
There are four subfamilies: Bothriderinae, Teredinae, Xylariophilinae, and Anommatinae. These contain about 38 genera with about 400 described species.
Genera include: