Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
Clickable Guide
Moths Butterflies Flies Caterpillars Flies Dragonflies Flies Mantids Cockroaches Bees and Wasps Walkingsticks Earwigs Ants Termites Hoppers and Kin Hoppers and Kin Beetles True Bugs Fleas Grasshoppers and Kin Ticks Spiders Scorpions Centipedes Millipedes

Calendar
Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29


Previous events


TaxonomyBrowse
Info
ImagesLinksBooksData

Family Lycidae - Net-winged Beetles

Net-winged Beetle - Plateros Net-winged beetle larva (probably Calopteron) - Calopteron TX Net-winged Beetle species? - Calopteron terminale Net-Winged Beetle - Leptoceletes basalis Plateros Golden Net-wing - Dictyoptera coccinata MN Aug - Calopteron reticulatum? - Calopteron Lopheros crenatus (Germar) - Lopheros crenatus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Elateriformia)
Superfamily Elateroidea
Family Lycidae (Net-winged Beetles)
Pronunciation
LY-kid-ee
Explanation of Names
Lycidae LaPorte 1836
see Lycus
Numbers
ca. 80 spp. in ~20 genera in our area(1) · ~4600 spp. in 160 genera total(2)
Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)
Family LYCIDAE
Subfamily Lycinae
Identification
Larvae have the head widened anteriorly, somewhat depressed; antennae short and robust, prominent, 2-segmented; and the abdomen largely 9-segmented. If a 10th segment is present, it is very small, hardly sclerotized, and not dorsally visible.
Range
worldwide and throughout NA; much more diverse in warmer climes(1)
Habitat
for many groups, typically woodlands
Food
Adults eat nectar and honeydew. Larvae: Despite anecdotal reports of carnivory, most, if not all, feed on myxomycetes or metabolic products of fungi(1)
Life Cycle
Larvae live in decaying tree trunks and branches.(4)
Remarks
Many spp. aggregate in one of their life stages(1)
Many are unpalatable to predators due to ingesting toxic chemicals. They present aposematic colors that advertise their toxicity.(Chemoecology. Defensive Chemistry of Lycid Beetles and of Mimetic Cerambycid Beetles that Feed on Them)
Larvae of (Lampyridae) have the head elongate and subcylindrical, retractable antennae 3-segmented, and 10 abdominal segments present, the 10th concealed ventrally, the preceding segments thus often curved downward.
When disturbed, the elytral ridges are easily ruptured and will ooze hemolymph laced with odorous pyrazines. This smell warns predators of their bad taste.(5)
Internet References
family overviews: adults(6) | larvae(7)