''Lycus trabeatus'', common name tailed net-winged beetle, is a species of beetle in the

Lycidae The Lycidae are a family in the beetle order Coleoptera, members of which are commonly called net-winged beetles. These beetles are cosmopolitan, being found in Nearctic, Palearctic, Neotropical, Afrotropical, Oriental, and Australian ecoregions ...

family, which is native to the eastern, southern

Afrotropics The Afrotropical realm is one of Earth's eight biogeographic realms. It includes Africa south of the Sahara Desert, the majority of the Arabian Peninsula, the island of Madagascar, southern Iran and extreme southwestern Pakistan, and the island ...

and

Arabian Peninsula The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plate ...

. They are diurnal, aposematic insects. Adults feed on various flowers and their nectar, while larvae live under tree bark, in dead wood, or in detritus where they may live on fungi.

Range and habitat

It is known to occur in

Eritrea Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...

Ethiopia Ethiopia, , om, Itiyoophiyaa, so, Itoobiya, ti, ኢትዮጵያ, Ítiyop'iya, aa, Itiyoppiya officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a landlocked country in the Horn of Africa. It shares borders with Eritrea to the ...

, the

DRC The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Namibia Namibia (, ), officially the Republic of Namibia, is a country in Southern Africa. Its western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Zambia and Angola to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and ea ...

Oman Oman ( ; ar, عُمَان ' ), officially the Sultanate of Oman ( ar, سلْطنةُ عُمان ), is an Arabian country located in southwestern Asia. It is situated on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and spans the mouth of t ...

and

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

. It inhabits subtropical forests, savannahs and grasslands.

Description

''Lycus trabeatus'' reaches a length of about . The pronotum has a black center and orange edges. The elytra are black at their bases, on the apical lobes, and sometimes along the dilated edges. Elytra are variable in shape, from widely expanded with a constriction towards the apical lobe, to intermediate or slender. The black antennae are mildly serrate. Femora are orange and the lower legs are black.

Subspecies

There are two subspecies: * ''Lycus trabeatus trabeatus'' :Range: eastern and southern Afrotropics :Description: Female's total length about 22 mm, pronotum 4 mm x 4 mm, elytron 18 mm long, dilated laterally, narrowing towards apical lobe. * ''Lycus trabeatus matojoi'' :Range: southern highlands of Tanzania :Description: Female's total length about 18 mm, pronotum 3 mm x 3 mm, elytron 15 x 4 mm.

Gallery

File:Lycus trabeatus.jpg, File:Lycidae - Lycus trabeatus.JPG, File:Tailed Net-winged Beetle (Lycus trabeatus) (12008683516), crop.jpg, File:Lycus trabeatus, ventraal, Moreletakloof NR, b.jpg,

References

External links

Insecta
Lycidae Insects of Ethiopia Insects of South Africa {{Lycidae-stub