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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Cucujoidea » Nitidulid series » Sap-feeding Beetles (Nitidulidae)

Family Nitidulidae - Sap-feeding Beetles

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Internet References · Works Cited

puffball nitidulid - Pocadius fulvipennis

4 Spotted Sap Beetle - Glischrochilus quadrisignatus

Glischrochilus quadrisignatus (Four-spotted Sap Beetle) - Glischrochilus quadrisignatus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)

Superfamily Cucujoidea

No Taxon (Nitidulid series)

Family Nitidulidae (Sap-feeding Beetles)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

a classification of world genera here (Kireitschuk 2012); Cybocephalidae and Prometopinae restored(1)

Explanation of Names

Nitidulidae Latreille 1802

Numbers

~170 spp. in 30 genera in our area(2), ~4500 spp. in 350 genera worldwide(3); 73 spp. in WI(4); 70 in IN(5); 33 in a part of VA(6)

Overview of our fauna

Family NITIDULIDAE

Subfamily CRYPTARCHINAE

Tribe Cryptarchini Cryptarcha · Glischrochilus (subgg. Librodor · Glischrochilus) · Pityophagus

Subfamily PROMETOPINAE Prometopia

Subfamily AMPHICROSSINAE Amphicrossus

Subfamily CARPOPHILINAE Carpophilus (subgg. Carpophilus · Megacarpolus · Semocarpolus · Ecnomorphus · Caplothorax · Myothorax · *Plapennipolus) · Nitops (subgg. Nitops · Urocarpolus) · Urophorus

Subfamily EPURAEINAE

Tribe Epuraeini Epuraea (subgg. Aphenolia · Haptoncus · Epuraea · Epuraeanella · Orthopeplus · incertae sedis)

Subfamily MELIGETHINAE Acanthogethes · Afrogethes · Brassicogethes · Fabogethes · Genistogethes · Meligethes

Subfamily CILLAEINAE Brachypeplus · Colopterus · Conotelus

Subfamily NITIDULINAE

Tribe Cychramini Cychramus

Tribe Nitidulini Pocadius · Thalycra • Nitidula-complex: Nitidula · Omosita • Soronia-complex: Amphotis · Lobiopa · Soronia • Phenolia-complex: Phenolia · Stelidota • Aethina-complex: Aethina

Tribe Cyllodini Camptodes · Cyllodes · Pallodes · Psilopyga

Size

0.9‒15 mm

Identification

photo gallery in (7)

Range

worldwide and across NA

Food

fungi, plant matter, sap, decaying fruit; many associated with flowers, carrion (Nitidula, Omosita...), bee nests (Aethina tumida, E. aestiva), ant nests (e.g. Amphotis); some may damage stored products (some Carpophilinae). Larvae of some nit genera prey on bark beetle larvae

Internet References

Fact sheets: Myers (2004)(8) • Lyon & Williams (1997)(9)

Works Cited

1.	Molecular phylogeny of Nitidulidae: assessment of subfamilial and tribal classification... Cline A.R., Smith T.R., Miller K., Moulton M., Whiting M., Audisio P. 2014. Systematic Entomology 39: 758–772.

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.	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.

4.	An annotated checklist of Wisconsin sap and short-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae, Kateretidae) Price M.B., Young D.K. 2006. Insecta Mundi 20: 69‒84.

5.	A checklist of the sap beetle (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae) fauna of Indiana, with notes on effective trapping methods G.S. Powell. Insecta Mundi 2015 (0424): June 5, 2015.

6.	The sap-feeding beetles (Col: Nitidulidae) of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, Virginia, and the District of Columbia Chandler D.S. Steury B.W. 2023. Banisteria 57: 67–74.

7.	Collison C., MacGown J. (2010) Nitidulidae in the Mississippi Entomological Museum

8.	University of Florida: Featured Creatures

9.	Ohio State University Extension fact sheets

Contributed by Tony DiTerlizzi on 2 November, 2004 - 10:05pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Phillip Harpootlian, Jeff Gruber, Bbarnd, Chuck Entz, Tim Moyer, v belov, Marci Hess
Last updated 2 March, 2024 - 5:25pm

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