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Bruchinae
The bean weevils or seed beetles are a subfamily (Bruchinae) of weevils, which in turn are a subset of beetles. The Bruchinae now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. The subfamily includes about 1,650 species and are found worldwide. Bean weevils are generally compact and oval in shape, with small heads somewhat bent under. Sizes range from for some tropical species. Colors are usually black or brown, often with mottled patterns. Although their mandibles may be elongated, they do not have the long snouts characteristic of other weevils. A defining characteristic of this subfamily is that the elytra don't quite reach the tip of their abdomens (as seen in the header image). The Bruchinae are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds or beans (hence their common names), living most of their lives inside a single seed; Host plants tend to be legumes, but species will also be found in Convolvulaceae, Are ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chrysomelidae
The beetle family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, includes over 37,000 (and probably at least 50,000) species in more than 2,500 genera, making it one of the largest and most commonly encountered of all beetle families. Numerous subfamilies are recognized, but the precise taxonomy and systematics are likely to change with ongoing research. Leaf beetles are partially recognizable by their tarsal formula, which appears to be 4-4-4, but is actually 5-5-5 as the fourth tarsal segment is very small and hidden by the third. As with many taxa, no single character defines Chrysomelidae; instead, the family is delineated by a set of characters. Some lineages are only distinguished with difficulty from longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae), namely by the antennae not arising from frontal tubercles. Members of former chrysomelid subfamilies ( Orsodacnidae and Megalopodidae) are also difficult to differentiate from true chrysomelids. Adult and larval leaf beetles feed o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |