Ant beetle

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Ant beetle
Scydmaenus tarsatus

Scydmaenus tarsatus

Systematics
Class : Insects (Insecta)
Order : Beetle (Coleoptera)
Subordination : Polyphaga
Superfamily : Staphylinoidea
Family : Kurzflügler (Staphylinidae)
Subfamily : Ant beetle
Scientific name
Scydmaeninae
Leach , 1815

The ant beetles (Scydmaeninae) are a subfamily of the raven-winged beetles within the order of the beetles .

features

They are very small beetles, only 0.5 to 3.5 millimeters in length. Numerous species of this subfamily have constrictions between the head, thorax and abdomen, which make them look like ants , also because of their elongated bodies . They have light body hair and their eleven-link, thread-shaped antennae end in a three- to five-link club. The legs all have five tarsal links .

The beetles prefer moist habitats and live in moss , dead damp leaves, in dung, rotten wood and under bark or stones. Some species live in anthills or mammalian nests .

Way of life

Both the larvae and the adults feed on various invertebrates , but especially on mites . They kill and eat their prey by either drilling open or cutting open its shell. The beetles can be found in the litter layer under leaves or on dead wood , especially in damp places.

Systematics

Ever since the ant beetles were viewed as a subfamily of the raven , their former subfamilies have been classified as super tribes. These are divided into a total of 10 tribes.

  • Supertribus Scydmaenitae Leach, 1815,
    • Tribus Eutheiini Casey, 1897
    • Tribus Cephenniini Reitter, 1882
    • Tribe Cyrtoscydmini Schaufuss, 1889
    • Tribus Plaumanniolini Costa Lima, 1962
    • Tribus Chevrolatiini Reitter, 1882
    • Tribe Leptoscydmini Casey, 1897
    • Tribus Scydmaenini Leach, 1815
  • Supertribus Mastigitae Fleming, 1821,
    • Tribe Clidicini Casey, 1897
    • Tribe Leptomastacini Casey, 1897
    • Tribus Mastigini Fleming, 1821
  • Supertribus Hapsomelitae Poinar & Brown, 2004,

European species

The subfamily of the ant beetles includes over 600 species and subspecies in Europe , which are divided into two super tribes with a total of 21 genera. Around 4,500 species in 80 genera are known worldwide . Of these, 10 genera with around 100 species occur in Central Europe .

Types (selection)

credentials

  1. ^ A b V. V. Grebennikov & AF Newton: Good-bye Scydmaenidae: or why the ant-like stone beetles should become megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo (Coleoptera). European Journal of Entomology, 106, pp. 275-301, 2009
  2. ↑ Scydmaenidae. Fauna Europaea, accessed May 1, 2007 .

Web links