Cleroidea is a small superfamily of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

s containing over 10,000 species. Most of the members of the group are somewhat slender, often with fairly soft, flexible

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometime ...

, and typically hairy or scaly.

Description

Cleroidea is defined by the following features: adult and larva with

mandibular In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

mola absent, larva with basal mandibular process (lacinia mobilis) present), and mala with a pedunculate

seta In biology, setae (; seta ; ) are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Depending partly on their form and function, protostome setae may be called macrotrichia, chaetae, ...

present. Some cleroids, especially in

Cleridae Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences. Cleridae have many Ecological nich ...

and the melyrid subfamily Malachiinae, have bright

aposematic Aposematism is the Advertising in biology, advertising by an animal, whether terrestrial or marine, to potential predation, predators that it is not worth attacking or eating. This unprofitability may consist of any defenses which make the pr ...

colouration to deter predators. They mimic the appearances of other arthropods that are unpalatable to predators, such as various beetles (

blister beetle Blister beetles are beetles of the family (biology), family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. About 7,500 species are known worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some are aposematism, aposematica ...

leaf beetle 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 s ...

s, net-winged beetles), stinging Hymenoptera (

ant Ants are Eusociality, eusocial insects of the Family (biology), family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the Taxonomy (biology), order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from Vespoidea, vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cre ...

s and velvet ants), zygaenid moths and tachinid flies. There is variation in the degree of sclerotisation within Cleroidea. Some are hard-bodied beetles with fully sclerotised

that match the shape of the abdomen (

Trogossitidae Trogossitidae, also known as bark-gnawing beetles, are a small family in the superfamily Cleroidea. Many taxa formerly within this family have been removed (as of 2019) to other families, such as Lophocateridae, Peltidae, Protopeltidae, Rentoniid ...

Lophocateridae Lophocateridae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, formerly included in the Trogossitidae. Members of the group have a variety of ecologies, including as predators of other insects, as fungivores, or are phytophagous. Genera Sou ...

Peltidae ''Peltis'' is a genus of beetles found in North America and Europe, and the sole extant member of the family Peltidae, formerly included in the Trogossitidae.Gimmel, M.L., Bocakova, M., Gunter, N.L. and Leschen, R.A. (2019) Comprehensive phyloge ...

). The melyrid lineage (a group including

Melyridae Melyridae (common name: soft-winged flower beetles) are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. Description Most are elongate-oval, soft-bodied beetles 10 mm long or less. Many are brightly patterned in black and brown, yellow, ...

and other families) and the two small families

Phloiophilidae ''Phloiophilus edwardsii'' is the sole known species of the beetle family Phloiophilidae in the superfamily Cleroidea. It is native to Europe. The larvae are mycophagous, and have been observed feeding on Basidiomycota, basidiomycetes of the genu ...

and

Acanthocnemidae ''Acanthocnemus nigricans'' is a species of cleroid beetle, the only species in the genus ''Acanthocnemus'' and the family Acanthocnemidae. Originally native to Australia, the species has spread in modern times to numerous parts of the world, in ...

are highly soft-bodied. The Cleridae are intermediately soft-bodied.

Biology

Cleroids can be divided into three main groups based on what they feed on: * Cleridae and most Trogossitinae (Trogossitidae) are

predatory Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

and their adults are usually diurnal. * The melyrid lineage are

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by most types of flowers of seed plants for the purpose of sexual reproduction. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced Gametophyte#Heterospory, microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm ...

- or

nectar Nectar is a viscous, sugar-rich liquid produced by Plant, plants in glands called nectaries, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollination, pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to an ...

-feeders, and also have diurnal adults. * Much of the remaining Trogossitidae and many smaller families are

fungus A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

-feeders. Their adults are more cryptic and/or

nocturnal Nocturnality is a ethology, behavior in some non-human animals characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnality, diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatur ...

than the previous two groups, occurring under bark, in rotting wood or in fruiting bodies of fungi. Other lifestyles also occur in the superfamily. Phycosecidae

scavenge Scavengers are animals that consume dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a herbivorous feeding be ...

dead animals on bare seashore, while ''Acanthocnemus nigricans'' (the sole species of Acanthocnemidae) is attracted to recently burnt

wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

Taxonomy

Families included are: *

Crowson, 1964 * Biphyllidae LeConte, 1861 * †

Boleopsidae ''Boleopsis'' is an extinct genus of beetles from the Eocene aged Oise amber of France; it contains a single described species, ''Boleopsis polinae'', and is the only member of the family Boleopsidae. References External links

* Fossil ...

Kirejtshuk & Nel, 2013 * Byturidae Gistel, 1848 * Chaetosomatidae Crowson, 1952 (incl. Metaxinidae) *

Latreille, 1802 (

checkered beetle Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences. Cleridae have many niches and fee ...

s) *

Crowson, 1964 *

Mauroniscidae Mauroniscidae is a family of Cleroidea, cleroid beetles, formerly included in the family Melyridae. There are presently five or six genera and roughly 30 described species in Mauroniscidae, all of which are native to the Americas. Almost nothing ...

Majer, 1995 *

Leach, 1815 ( soft-winged flower beetles) (including the former Attalomimidae, Malachiidae and

Dasytidae Dasytinae is a subfamily of soft-wing flower beetles, beetles of the family Melyridae, historically sometimes treated as a separate family, "Dasytidae". Description and distribution Dasytinae are typically small (<8 mm) and parallel-sided ...

) *

Latreille, 1806 *

Kiesenwetter, 1863 * Phycosecidae Crowson, 1952 *

Prionoceridae Prionoceridae is a small family of beetles, in the suborder Polyphaga. They form a group within the cleroid beetles and were formerly treated as a subfamily (Prionocerinae) within the family Melyridae. Very little is known of their life history ...

Lacordaire, 1857 * Protopeltidae Crowson, 1966 *

Rentoniidae Rentoniidae is a family of beetles belonging to Cleroidea. The species were originally included in the family Trogossitidae. They are around 1–2 mm in length, with spherical bodies. Members of the family are native to the Southern Hemisphe ...

Crowson, 1966 *

Rhadalidae Rhadalidae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea, formerly treated as a subfamily within the family Melyridae. The adults are predators or feed on pollen, while the larvae are probably carnivorous. Distribution Worldwide, except ...

LeConte, 1861 (incl. Gietellidae) *

Thanerocleridae Thanerocleridae is a family of beetles belonging to the superfamily Cleroidea. It was formerly considered a subfamily of Cleridae, but was recently elevated to the rank of family. The family has 36 living species in 10 genera, which are found glo ...

Chapin, 1924 *

Thymalidae Thymalidae is a family of beetles in Cleroidea. They were formerly included in Trogossitidae. Members of the subfamily Decamerinae are found in Central and South America, and are associated with flowers, while '' Thymalus'', the only member of th ...

Léveillé, 1888 *

Latreille, 1802 ( bark-gnawing beetles) The melyrid lineage consists of Phycosecidae, Rhadalidae, Mauroniscidae, Prionoceridae and Melyridae. Most species belong to the families Cleridae and Melyridae, followed by Trogossitidae.

Extinct genera

* '' Juraniscus'' Kolibáč and Huang, 2019 - found in Daohugou,

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

Middle Jurassic The Middle Jurassic is the second Epoch (geology), epoch of the Jurassic Period (geology), Period. It lasted from about 174.1 to 161.5 million years ago. Fossils of land-dwelling animals, such as dinosaurs, from the Middle Jurassic are relativel ...

deposit, considered part of the melyrid lineage

References

External links

Cleroidea
from th
Tree of Life

Diagnostic photos and information. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cleroidea Beetle superfamilies