The sap beetles, also known as Nitidulidae, are a family of beetles. They are small (2–6 mm) ovoid, usually dull-coloured beetles, with knobbed antennae. Some have red or yellow spots or bands. They feed mainly on decaying vegetable matter, over-ripe fruit, and sap. Some sap beetle species coexist with fungi species and live in habitats of coniferous trees. These fungi-dependent beetles are found in all across Europe and Siberia and are the biggest nutudulid species known in those areas. Other species like the Australian ''Chychramptodes murrayi'' are known to feed on scale insects. There are a few pest species, like the strawberry sap beetle that infest crops in Brazil between the months of August and February. Some common sap beetles include: * the picnic beetle, ''Glischrochilus quadrisignatus'' * the dusky sap beetle, ''Carpophilus lugubris'' * the strawberry sap beetle, ''Stelidota geminata'' * the small hive beetle, ''Aethina tumida'' The oldest unambiguous fossils of the family date to the

Early Cretaceous The Early Cretaceous (geochronology, geochronological name) or the Lower Cretaceous (chronostratigraphy, chronostratigraphic name) is the earlier or lower of the two major divisions of the Cretaceous. It is usually considered to stretch from 143.1 ...

, belonging to the genus '' Crepuraea'' from the

Aptian The Aptian is an age (geology), age in the geologic timescale or a stage (stratigraphy), stage in the stratigraphic column. It is a subdivision of the Early Cretaceous, Early or Lower Cretaceous epoch (geology), Epoch or series (stratigraphy), S ...

aged Zaza Formation of Russia.

Classification

The family includes these genera: * Subfamily Calonecrinae Kirejtshuk, 1982 * Subfamily Maynipeplinae Kirejtshuk, 1998 * Subfamily Epuraeinae Kirejtshuk, 1986 * Subfamily Carpophilinae Erichson, 1842 ** '' Carpophilus'' Stephens, 1830 ** '' Epuraea'' Erichson, 1843 ** ''

Urophorus ''Urophorus'' is a genus of sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae. There are at least two described species in ''Urophorus''. Species These two species belong to the genus ''Urophorus'': * ''Urophorus humeralis'' (Fabricius, 1798) (pinea ...

'' Murray, 1864 * Subfamily Amphicrossinae Kirejtshuk, 1986 * Subfamily Meligethinae Thomson, 1859 ** '' Meligethes'' Stephens, 1830 ** '' Pria'' Stephens, 1830 * Subfamily Nitidulinae Latreille, 1802 ** '' Amphotis'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Cychramus'' Kugelann, 1794 ** '' Cyllodes'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Ipidia'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Miskoramus'' Kirejtshuk & Lawrence, 1992 ** '' Nitidula'' Fabricius, 1775 ** '' Omosita'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Physoronia'' Reitter, 1884 ** '' Pocadius'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Soronia'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Thalycra'' Erichson, 1843 ** '' Tumida'' Murray, 1867 * Subfamily Cillaeinae Kirejtshuk & Audisio, 1986 ** '' Cillaeopeplus'' Sharp, 1908 * Subfamily Cryptarchinae Thomson, 1859 ** '' Cryptarcha'' Shuckard, 1839 ** '' Glischrochilus'' Reitter, 1873 ** '' Pityophagus'' Shuckard, 1839 * Subfamily Cybocephalinae Jacquelin du Val, 1858 (''now frequently elevated to family status as Cybocephalidae'') ** '' Cybocephalus'' Erichson, 1844 ** '' Pastillus'' Endrödy-Younga, 1962 * Subfamily Prometopinae ** '' Prometopia'' * '' incertae sedis'' ** '' Apetinus'' ** '' Conotelus'' ** '' Cyrtostolus'' ** '' Eunitidula'' ** '' Eupetinus'' ** '' Gonioryctus'' ** '' Goniothorax'' ** '' Haptoncus'' ** '' Kateretes'' ** '' Nesapterus'' ** '' Nesopetinus'' ** '' Notopeplus'' ** '' Orthostolus'' ** '' Stelidota'' ** ''

References

External links

sap beetles of Florida
on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
Keys for the identification of British Nitidulidae (the pollen beetles)
{{Nitidulidae-stub