Derodontidae is a
family 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, in its own
superfamily, Derodontoidea, sometimes known as the tooth-necked fungus beetles. Beetles of this family are small, between 2 and 6 mm in length, typically with spiny margins on their pronotum (part of the thorax) that give them their name, though the genus ''Laricobius'' lacks these spines. Unusual among beetles, they have two
ocelli on the top of their heads.
They are related to the
Bostrichoidea, which includes the
death watch beetles,
skin beetles,
powder-post beetles and other subgroups.
Some species feed on
slime molds, but the
larvae and adults of the genus ''
Laricobius'' are predators of
woolly adelgids which attack conifers, and species of this genus are used as biological control agents in the United States for control of
balsam woolly adelgid and
hemlock woolly adelgid.
There are 42 species in 4 genera and 3 subfamilies. The family includes:
*Subfamily Derodontinae
**Genus ''
Derodontus'' (11 species)
*Subfamily Laricobiinae
**Genus ''
Laricobius'' (23 species)
**Genus ''
Nothoderodontus'' (6 species)
*Subfamily Peltasticinae
**Genus ''
Peltastica'' (2 species)
A fossil genus, ''
Juropeltastica,'' is known from the Middle
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a Geological period, geologic period and System (stratigraphy), stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately 143.1 Mya. ...
( ~ 163 million years old)
Daohugou Beds of China.
References
External links
Derodontidaefrom th
Tree of Life
{{Authority control
Beetle families
Taxa named by John Lawrence LeConte