Psammodes

The Tok-tok beetles (genus Psammodes) are ground-dwelling, Afrotropical beetles in the family Tenebrionidae. They are stout in shape and typically black or dark rufous in colour. They average about 2.6 cm in body length, but the Spindle toktokkie (P. bertolonii) has an elongate body shape and measures 5.3 cm, while P. sulcicollis reaches 6 to 8 cm, and is the largest Tenebrionid in the world. Like the related genus Dichtha, the adults tap out a rhythm on the ground to attract and locate mates. Habitats are varied, from coastal forest to ridges, koppies, woodland and desert sand.