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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Scarabaeoidea » Hide Beetles (Trogidae)

Family Trogidae - Hide Beetles

Ironclad Beetle, Phloeodes ? - Trox gemmulatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

Superfamily Scarabaeoidea

Family Trogidae (Hide Beetles)

Other Common Names

Skin Beetles

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

used to be treated as a subfamily of Scarabaeidae, and Omorgus as a subgenus of Trox; now the two genera are treated in different subfamilies(1)

Explanation of Names

Trogidae MacLeay 1819

Numbers

~40 spp. in our area(2), >300 spp. in 5 genera worldwide(1)

Size

4‒19 mm (NA spp.)(3), some Australian spp. up to 31 mm(3)

Identification

Trox 3‒12 mm, rounded scutellum • Omorgus 9‒20 mm, hastate scutellum

For identification, see (3)(4)(5)(6)(7) • larvae treated in (8)

Range

worldwide, rather evenly distributed between continents(9)

Habitat

on carrion at late stages of decomposition, on owl pellets, in bird & mammal nests, on carnivore scat containing hair/bones; more common in drier regions(7)

Season

year round, at least in the south

Food

skin, bone, hair, feathers; Trogidae are among the last scavengers to visit dry animal remains(7)

Remarks

many spp. come to lights(7)

Works Cited

1.	Updated checklist and bibliography of family Trogidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) Zidek J. 2017. Folia Heyrovskyana 25: 93–127.

2.	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.

3.	A revision of the genus Trox in North America (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) Vaurie P. 1955. Bull. AMNH 106: 1‒89.

4.	Two new species of Trox from Florida (Coleoptera, Scarabaeidae) Vaurie P., Howden H.F. 1957. Am. Mus. novitates 1818: 1‒6.

5.	The Beetles of Northeastern North America, Vol. 1 and 2. Downie, N.M., and R.H. Arnett. 1996. The Sandhill Crane Press, Gainesville, FL.

6.	Scarab beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) of South Carolina Phillip J. Harpootlian. 2001. Clemson University Public Service.

7.	The Scarabaeoid Beetles of Nebraska Brett C. Ratcliffe & M.J. Paulsen. 2008. University of Nebraska State Museum, Vol 22, 570 pp.

8.	Larval taxonomy of the Troginae in North America with notes on biologies and life histories (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) Baker C.W. 1968. Bull. US Nat. Mus. 279: 1–79.

9.	Checklist and bibliography of the Trogidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) Zidek J. 2013. Insecta Mundi 0314: 1‒38.

Contributed by Cotinis on 14 August, 2004 - 7:51am
Additional contributions by Stephen_WV, Phillip Harpootlian, Mike Quinn, v belov
Last updated 19 December, 2024 - 7:27pm

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