type genus
In biological taxonomy, the type genus (''genus typica'') is the genus which defines a biological family and the root of the family name.
Zoological nomenclature
According to the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature, "The name-bearin ...
Melasinae
Melasinae is a subfamily of false click beetles in the family Eucnemidae.
Tribes and Genera
''BioLib''Melasini. It contains fourteen species, native to North America and parts of Europe, four of which can be found in the
Nearctic realm
The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface.
The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North America t ...
.
Description
The species in the genus are approximately 4.0-13.0 mm long. They can be identified by their flat
tibiae
The tibia (; : tibiae or tibias), also known as the shinbone or shankbone, is the larger, stronger, and anterior (frontal) of the two bones in the leg below the knee in vertebrates (the other being the fibula, behind and to the outside of the t ...
prothorax
The prothorax is the foremost of the three segments in the thorax of an insect, and bears the first pair of legs. Its principal sclerites (exoskeletal plates) are the pronotum (dorsal), the prosternum ( ventral), and the propleuron (lateral) on ...
The species are found across North America, and more densely in Europe. One species is found only in the southwestern United States, two others only on the Western Coast, and another is more widespread in the region, being found across southern Canada and the Eastern United States. Only ''M. bupestroides'' is widespread in Europe, but ''M. fermini'' can also be found in Spain.
The species are largely found in forested areas in late April through July. Their larvae usually feed on conifers like firs, and usually develop in hard wood.