Eulichadidae is a family of beetles belonging to
Elateriformia. There are two extant genera, ''
Eulichas'' with several dozen species native to the
Indomalayan realm
The Indomalayan realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms. It extends across most of South and Southeast Asia and into the southern parts of East Asia.
Also called the Oriental realm by biogeographers, Indomalaya spreads all over the Ind ...
of Asia, and ''
Stenocolus,'' with a single species native to Western North America. The larvae are aquatic, with the larvae of ''Eulichas'' being found in sandy sediments of clean forest streams, while the larvae of ''Stenocolus'' are found under rocks and in leaf packs in low elevation streams and rivers. They are herbivious/saprophagous with larval specimens of ''Eulichas'' having been found with wood particles in their stomachs, while the larvae of ''Stenocolus'' are known to feed on decaying roots and detritus. The adults are terrestrial, with specimens of ''Eulichas'' typically found using light, while specimens of ''Stenocolus'' are typically found in riparian vegetation, and are not attracted to light. Potential extinct genera have been described from
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
rocks, but the placement of several of these taxa in the family is disputed.
Genera
These two extant genera belong to the family Eulichadidae:
* ''
Eulichas''
Jacobson, 1913 Asia
* ''
Stenocolus''
LeConte, 1853 North America
Potential extinct genera
* ''
Mesodascilla''
Martynov, 1926 Karabastau Formation, Kazakhstan, Late Jurassic (alternatively considered a member of
Lasiosynidae)
* ''
Cretasyne''
Yan, Wang & Zhang, 2013 Yixian Formation
The Yixian Formation (; formerly transcribed as Yihsien Formation) is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans the late Barremian and early Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous. It is known for its exq ...
, China, Early Cretaceous (
Aptian
The Aptian is an age in the geologic timescale or a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early or Lower Cretaceous Epoch or Series and encompasses the time from 121.4 ± 1.0 Ma to 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma (million years ag ...
) (alternatively considered a member of Lasiosynidae)
* ''
Mesaplus''
Hong, 1983 Haifanggou Formation, China, Middle Jurassic
References
Further reading
*
*
Byrrhoidea
Beetle families
{{Elateriformia-stub