Other Common Names
Short-winged Mold Beetles
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
formerly considered a separate family, Pselaphidae
Explanation of Names
Pselaphinae Latreille 1802
Numbers
710 spp. in >100 genera in our area
(1)(2), >10,500 spp. in >1,300 genera worldwide
(3)Size
0.5‒5.5 mm (average 1.5 mm)
(1)Identification
abdomen broader than head and usually not flexible; elytra short, exposing much of the upper surface of the abdomen; antennae clubbed
Habitat
under stones, loose bark, moss, forest litter, and in ant nests
Food
Pselaphines are predators; they do
not feed on mold
(1)Remarks
Three obligate troglobiotic spp. from central TX are federally listed as endangered:
Batrisodes texanus,
B. venyivi, and
Texamaurops reddelli (Chandler D.S. 1992) The Pselaphidae (Coleoptera) of Texas caves.
In: Reddell J.R., ed. Studies on the cave and endogean fauna of North America II. Speleological Monographs 3, Texas Memorial Museum, Austin: 241‒253.