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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Series Cucujiformia » Coccinelloidea » Coccinellid group » Minute Brown Scavenger Beetles (Latridiidae)

Family Latridiidae - Minute Brown Scavenger Beetles

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Remarks · See Also · Works Cited
Latriidid(?) - Corticaria varicolor Metophthalmus rileyi Andrews - Metophthalmus rileyi Latridiid - Corticarina cavicollis Minute Brown Scavenger Beetle - Cortinicara gibbosa Latridiidae ? - Cortinicara gibbosa Corticarina minuta - male Corticarina cavicollis - male Beetle from collection of drying lopped Helianthus annuus flowers - Corticaria
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Coccinelloidea
No Taxon (Coccinellid group)
Family Latridiidae (Minute Brown Scavenger Beetles)
Other Common Names
Mold and Plaster Beetles (for household and stored product pest taxa)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Lathridiidae, Corticariidae
Akalyptoischion has been recently moved to the family of its own(1)
Explanation of Names
Latridiidae Erichson 1842
Numbers
over 140 spp. in 16 genera in our area, ~1000 spp. in ~30 genera worldwide(2)(3)(4)(5)
Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)
Family Latridiidae
Subfamily Latridiinae Adistemia · Dienerella · Cartodere · Enicmus · Eufallia · Latridius · Metophthalmus · Revelieria · Stephostethus · Thes
Subfamily Corticariinae Corticaria · Corticarina · Cortinicara · Melanophthalma · *Fuchsina · Migneauxia
Size
0.8-3.0 mm
Identification
Tarsal formula 3-3-3, size 3 mm or less, and elongate-oval shape serve to separate this family(3)
Two subfamilies of rather different appearance:
Latridiinae: Body glabrous, or (rarely) with erect setae. Head, pronotum and elytra often with heavy sculpture dorsally (longitudinal grooves, ridges). Pronotal side margin usually smooth
Corticariinae: Body finely pubescent, hairs in most cases recumbent. Head, pronotum and elytra never with heavy sculpture dorsally, except for a subbasal circular pit or shallow transversal groove. Pronotal side margin often serrate
Range
worldwide; most diverse in temperate climates, in our area, most diverse in the west(3); several spp. (associated with stored products) are cosmopolitan(6)
Habitat
rotting vegetable matter; some species live in houses on damp wallpaper, moldy bread, etc. or otherwise associated with stored products.
Latridiinae are generally associated with leaf litter in nature(3)
Corticariinae can be collected by sweeping dead, low lying vegetation.
Season
Most prevalent during wetter seasons(3)
Food
fungal tissues (slime molds, molds, mildew, spores of "higher" fungi)
Remarks
Many taxonomic changes over the last two decades -- some quite confusing, with familiar names of genera often used in a different sense then before:
former Lathridius is now split into Cartodere, Stephostethus, Thes
several former Enicmus spp. are now Lathridius
former Cartodere are now Dienerella
See Also
Works Cited
1.Phylogenetic analysis of the minute brown scavenger beetles (Coleoptera: Latridiidae), and recognition of a new beetle family...
Lord N.P., Hartley C.S., Lawrence J.F., McHugh J.V., Whiting M.F., Miller K.B. 2010. Systematic Entomology 35: 753-763.
2.Rücker W.H. (1998-2014) Latridiidae & Merophysiinae
3.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
4.Latridiidae (Coleoptera) of Atlantic Canada: New records, keys to identification, new synonyms, distribution, and zoogeography
Majka C.G., Langor D., Rücker W.H. 2009. The Canadian Entomologist 141: 317-370.
5.Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification...
Ślipiński S.A., Leschen R.A.B., Lawrence J.F. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 203–208.
6.Beetles associated with stored products in Canada: An identification guide
Bousquet Y. 1990. Research Branch Agriculture Canada, Publication 1837.
Contributed by Jim McClarin on 19 September, 2005 - 7:49pm
Additional contributions by Phillip Harpootlian, Mike Quinn, Boris Bueche, v belov, roar
Last updated 18 February, 2015 - 12:01pm

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