Ochodaeidae, also known as the sand-loving scarab beetles,
is a small family of
scarabaeiform beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s occurring in many parts of the world.
These beetles are small, ranging from . Their bodies are elongate and convex, with black and brown colors including yellowish- and reddish-brown shades.
As of 2012, the biology and habits of Ochodaeidae beetles is still mostly unknown. Most types have been collected in sandy areas at night, while some of their species are active during the day.
Taxonomy
Ochodaeidae beetles belong to the infraorder
Scarabaeiformia
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Its constituent families are also undergoing ...
, which contains only one superfamily, the
Scarabaeoidea
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Its constituent families are also undergoing r ...
.
The most striking feature of the Scarabaeoidea are the ends of their
antennae, that are divided into several lamellae, thus resembling a fan. Another distinguishing feature are their legs, that possess teeth and are adapted for digging.
Ochodaeidae is divided into two
subfamilies containing five
tribes
The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...
and 15
genera
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...
:
*Subfamily
Ochodaeinae Mulsant & Rey, 1871
:*Tribe
Enodognathini Scholtz, 1988
:::''Enodognathus''
Benderitter, 1921
:::''Odontochodaeus''
Paulian, 1976
:*Tribe
Ochodaeini Mulsant & Rey, 1871
:::''Codocera''
Eschscholtz, 1818
:::''Cucochodaeus''
Paulsen, 2007
:::''Neochodaeus''
Nikolayev, 1995
:::''Notochodaeus''
Nikolajev, 2005
:::''Ochodaeus''
Dejean, 1821
:::''Parochodaeus''
Nikolayev, 1995
:::''Xenochodaeus''
Paulsen, 2007
*Subfamily
Chaetocanthinae Scholtz in Scholtz, D'Hotman, Evans & Nel, 1988
:*Tribe
Chaetocanthini Scholtz in Scholtz, D'Hotman, Evans & Nel, 1988
:::''Chaetocanthus''
Péringuey, 1901
:::''Mioochodaeus''
Nikolajev, 1995
:::''Namibiotalpa''
Scholtz & Evans, 1987
:*Tribe
Pseudochodaeini Scholtz, 1988
:::''Pseudochodaeus''
Carlson & Richter, 1974
:*Tribe
Synochodaeini Scholtz, 1988
:::''Synochodaeus''
Kolbe, 1907
:::''Gauchodaeus''
Paulsen, 2012
References
Literature about Ochodaeidae
* 2006: A review of the family-group names for the superfamily Scarabaeoidea (Coleoptera) with corrections to nomenclature and a current classification. ''Coleopterists Society monograph'', 5: 144–204.; / PDF on the web site of the Zoological Institute of St. Petersburg
PDF* ; 2009: Catalogue of type specimens of beetles (Coleoptera) deposited in the National Museum, Prague, Czech Republic. Scarabaeoidea: Bolboceratidae, Geotrupidae, Glaphyridae, Hybosoridae, Ochodaeidae and Trogidae
49: 297–332
PDF* 2009: Ochodaeidae species of the Palaearctic's Asia. ''Euroasian entomological journal'', 8(2): 205–211.
ot seen* ; 2010: The oldest fossil Ochodaeidae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea) from the Middle Jurassic of China
''Zootaxa'' 2553: 65–68
Preview* 1988: Phylogeny and systematics of the Ochodaeidae (Insecta: Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). ''Journal of the Entomological Society of Southern Africa'', 51: 207–240.
* 2006
Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 3 Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark, , p. 95
Beetle families
Scarabaeiformia
{{Scarabaeoidea-stub