Cerylonidae
| Cerylonidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cerylon figures 1-4 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Superfamily: | Cucujoidea |
| Family: | Cerylonidae Billberg, 1820 |
Cerylonidae are small to tiny (0.8–3 mm.), smooth, shiny, hairless beetles, only lightly punctured. There are about 450 species worldwide in 50 or so genera mostly tropical and subtropical. They are most common under the bark of dead trees, but can also occur in compost and other decaying plant material. Little is known specifically about their biology but they are thought to be either predators that feed on other small animals or fungus eating.
The taxonomy is complex.The “Cerylonid Series” is a cluster of highly derived Cucujoidea families comprising Alexiidae, Bothrideridae, Cerylonidae, Coccinellidae, Corylophidae, Discolomatidae, Endomychidae, and Latridiidae.
Subfamilies
- Ceryloninae
- Euxestinae
- Loeblioryloninae
- Murmidiinae
- Ostomopsinae
References
External links
- Cerylonidae Tree of Life
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Data related to Cerylonidae at Wikispecies
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 7/14/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.