''Taridius'' is a genus 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 the family
Carabidae
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it is one of the 10 most species-rich animal ...
, found in Southeast Asia. The genus was described by
Chaudoir in 1875.
Species
These 18 species belong to the genus ''Taridius'':
* ''
Taridius abdominalis''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius andrewesi''
Emden, 1937 (Indonesia)
* ''
Taridius birmanicus''
Bates, 1892 (Myanmar)
* ''
Taridius coriaceus''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius disjunctus''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius fasciatus''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius jendeki''
Kirschenhofer, 2010 (India)
* ''
Taridius marginipennis''
Fedorenko, 2014 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius nilgiricus''
Andrewes, 1935 (India)
* ''
Taridius opaculus''
Chaudoir, 1875 (Nepal, India, and Myanmar)
* ''
Taridius ornatus''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius pahangensis''
(Kirschenhofer, 2003) (Malaysia)
* ''
Taridius piceus''
Fedorenko, 2012 (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius sabahensis''
(Kirschenhofer, 2003) (Indonesia and Borneo)
* ''
Taridius stevensi''
Andrewes, 1923 (India)
* ''
Taridius vietnamensis''
(Kirschenhofer, 1996) (Vietnam)
* ''
Taridius wrasei''
Kirschenhofer, 2010 (Indonesia and Borneo)
* ''
Taridius yunnanus''
Kabak & Wrase, 2014 (China)
Biology
Species of the
Carabidae
Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it is one of the 10 most species-rich animal ...
, including the genus Taridius, are predatory ground beetles. The adults can fly but may not choose to do so. They have biting mouthparts, a flattened body shape and hard, protective
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 ...
covering the membranous hind wings. Both adults and larvae are predators although they may also eat some plant matter and are probably scavengers as well.
Adults often shelter under objects during the day and emerge at night to hunt. These beetles can usually be found under the bark of trees or in the foliage, under rocks and rotten logs or in crevices in the ground. Taridius species are mainly found in tropical habitats in South East Asia.
References
Lebiinae
{{Lebiinae-stub