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Cucujiformia

(Infraorder)

Overview

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Cucujiformia is an of polyphagan beetles, representing the vast majority of plant-eating beetles.

The infraorder contains six superfamilies:

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Infraorder Cucujiformia is a member of the Suborder Polyphaga. Here is the complete "parentage" of Cucujiformia:

The Infraorder Cucujiformia is further organized into finer groupings including:

Families

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Acanthocnemidae

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Aglycyderidae

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Anthicidae

Anthicidae is a of beetles, sometimes called ant-like flower beetles or ant-like beetles that resemble ants. The family consists of over 3,000 species in about 100 genera. [more]

Anthribidae

Anthribidae is a of beetles also known as fungus weevils. The rostrum is broader than in most true weevils. The antennae are not elbowed, may occasionally be longer than the body and thread-like, and can be the longest of any members of Curculionoidea. As in the Nemonychidae, the labrum appears as a separate segment to the clypeus, and the maxillary palps are long and projecting. [more]

Apionidae

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Archeocrypticidae

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Attelabidae

Attelabidae (zobonoskovití) The Attelabidae or leaf-rolling weevils are a widespread family of . There are more than 2000 species. They are included within the primitive weevils, because of their straight antennae, which are inserted near the base of the rostrum. The prothorax is much narrower than the base of the elytra on the abdomen. [more]

Belidae

Belidae is a of weevils, called belids or primitive weevils because they have straight antennae, unlike the "true weevils" or Curculionidae which have elbowed antennae. They are sometimes known as "cycad weevils", but this properly refers to a few species from the genera Parallocorynus and Rhopalotria. In Florida, "the cycad weevil" is usually Rhopalotria slossoni, the only[verification needed] species native to North America. [more]

Biphyllidae

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Boganiidae

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Boridae

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Brentidae

Brentidae is a family of primarily xylophagous beetles also known as straight-snouted weevils. The concept of this family has been recently expanded with the inclusion of three groups formerly placed in the Curculionidae; the subfamilies Apioninae, Cyladinae, and Nanophyinae. They are most diverse in the tropics, but occur throughout the temperate regions of the world. They are among the families of weevils that have non-elbowed antennae, and tend to be elongate and flattened, though there are numerous exceptions. [more]

Bruchidae

The bean weevils or seed beetles are a (Bruchinae) of beetles, now placed in the family Chrysomelidae, though they have historically been treated as a separate family. They are granivores, and typically infest various kinds of seeds or beans, living for most of their lives inside a single seed. The family includes about 1,350 species found worldwide. [more]

Byturidae

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Cavognathidae

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Cephaloidae

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Cerambycidae

The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae; also known as long-horned beetles or, more archaically, longicorns) are a cosmopolitan family of , typically characterized by extremely long antennae, which are often as long as or longer than the beetle's body. In various members of the family, however, the antennae are quite short (e.g., Neandra brunnea, figured below) and such species can be difficult to distinguish from related beetle families such as Chrysomelidae. The family is large, with over 20,000 species described, slightly more than half from the Eastern Hemisphere. Several are serious pests, with the larvae boring into wood, where they can cause extensive damage to either living trees or untreated lumber (or, occasionally, to wood in buildings; the old-house borer, Hylotrupes bajulus, being a particular problem indoors). A number of species mimic ants, bees, and wasps, though a majority of species are cryptically co lored. The rare giant long-horned beetle (Titanus giganteus) from northeastern South America is often considered the largest (though not the heaviest, and not the longest including legs) insect, with a maximum known body length of just over 16 centimeters. [more]

Cerylonidae

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Chaetosomatidae

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Chalcodryidae

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Chrysomelidae

Beetles in the family Chrysomelidae are commonly known as leaf beetles. This is a of over 35,000 species in more than 2,500 genera, one of the largest and most commonly-encountered of all beetle families. [more]

Ciidae

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Cleridae

Cleridae are a family of of the superfamily Cleroidea, commonly referred to as checkered beetles. The Cleridae family has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences. [more]

Coccinellidae

Coccinellidae is a of beetles, known variously as ladybirds (British English, Australian English, South African English), ladybugs (North American English) or lady beetles (preferred by some scientists). Lesser-used names include ladyclock, lady cow, and lady fly. [more]

Colydiidae

Colydiinae is a subfamily of , commonly known as cylindrical bark beetles. They have been treated historically as a family, but have recently been moved into the Zopheridae, where they constitute the bulk of the diversity of the new composite family, with over 120 genera worldwide. [more]

Corylophidae

Cucujoidea is a of beetles. They include many fungus beetles, as well as ladybugs. Also included are a diversity of lineages of "bark beetles" unrelated to the "true" bark beetles (Scolytinae), which are weevils (superfamily Curculionidea). Notable among those are the dry bark beetles (Bothrideridae) which parasitize[verification needed] other[verification needed] bark beetles. [more]

Cryptophagidae

Cryptophagidae is a family of with representatives found in all ecozones. Only around 800 species have been described but it seems certain that many others await discovery. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus beetles and both adults and larvae appear to feed exclusively on fungi although in a wide variety of habitats and situations (eg rotting wood, shed animal fur/feathers). These beetles are generally small to very small, usually with a basically oval body shape with a slight "waist". [more]

Cucujidae

The Cucujidae, sometimes called flat bark beetles are a of distinctively flat beetles found worldwide under the bark of dead and live trees. The family consists of about 40 species in four genera. [more]

Curculionidae

Curculionidae, also called snout beetles or curculios (not to be confused with the genus ), is the family of the "true" weevils (or snout beetles). With over 60,000 species described worldwide, it is the largest of the beetle families. [more]

Discolomidae

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Dryophthoridae

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Endomychidae

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Erotylidae

Erotylidae is the pleasing fungus beetles, is a of beetles containing over 100 genera. In the present circumscription, it includes the formerly independent families Cryptophilidae, Languriidae, Loberidae, Pharaxonothidae and Xenoscelidae as subfamilies. In other words, the narrowly-circumscribed Erotylidae correspond to the subfamily Erotylinae in the definition sensu lato. They feed on plant and fungal matter; some are important pollinators (e.g. of the ancient cycads), while a few have gained notoriety as pests of some significance. Sometimes, useful and harmful species are found in one genus, e.g. Pharaxonotha. Most pleasing fungus beetles are inoffensive animals of little significance to humans however. [more]

Euglenidae

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Helotidae

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Ithyceridae

The New York weevil (Ithycerus noveboracensis) is a of primitive weevil; large for weevils (12-18 mm), it is covered with fine bristles and has a regular pattern of light and dark spots. It occurs in the eastern United States and southern Canada. [more]

Lamingtoniidae

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Languriidae

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Lathridiidae

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Lymexylidae

The Lymexylidae, or ship-timber beetles, are a of wood-boring beetles, and the sole member of the superfamily Lymexyloidea. [more]

Melandryidae

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Meloidae

Blister beetles are (Coleoptera) of the family Meloidae, so called for their defensive secretion of a blistering agent, cantharidin. There are approximately 2,500 known species worldwide. Many are conspicuous and some aposematically colored, announcing their toxicity to would-be predators. [more]

Melyridae

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Monommidae

Monommatinae is a subfamily (or sometimes only considered a tribe) of with no vernacular common name, though recent authors have coined the name opossum beetles. They have been treated historically as a family (sometimes spelled Monommidae), but have recently been placed into the Zopheridae. There are some 15 genera in this group, commonly found in association with plants in the family Agavaceae. [more]

Mordellidae

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Mycetophagidae

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Mycteridae

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Nemonychidae

Nemonychidae is a small family of , placed within the primitive weevil group because they have straight rather than elbowed antennae. They are often called pine flower weevils. As in the Anthribidae, the labrum appears as a separate segment to the clypeus, and the maxillary palps are long and projecting. Nemonychidae have all ventrites free, while Anthribidae have ventrites 1-4 connate or partially fused. Nemonychidae lack lateral carinae on the pronotum, while these are usually present, though may be short, in Anthribidae. [more]

Nitidulidae

The sap beetles are a (Nitidulidae) of beetles. [more]

Oedemeridae

The family Oedemeridae is a cosmopolitan group of commonly known as false blister beetles, though some recent authors have coined the name pollen-feeding beetles. There are some 100 genera and 1,500 species in the family, mostly associated with rotting wood as larvae, though adults are quite common on flowers. [more]

Oxycorynidae

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Perimylopidae

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Phalacridae

The Phalacridae are a family of commonly called the shining flower beetles. They are often found in composite flowers. They are oval-shaped, usually tan, and about 2 mm in length. [more]

Phloeostichidae

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Phloiophilidae

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Phycosecidae

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Propalticidae

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Prostomidae

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Protocucujidae

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Pterogeniidae

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Pyrochroidae

Fire-colored beetles are the of the Pyrochroidae family, which includes the red Cardinal beetles. This family contains some 150 species. Many species in the subfamily Pyrochroinae have comb- or antler-like antennae. This family also now includes most former members of the defunct family Pedilidae. [more]

Pythidae

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Rhipiphoridae

The family Ripiphoridae (formerly spelled Rhipiphoridae) is a cosmopolitan group of commonly known as wedge-shaped beetles containing some 450 species. They are one of the most unusual beetle families, in that they are parasitoids; different groups within the family attack different hosts, but most are associated with bees or vespid wasps, while some others are associated with roaches. They often have abbreviated elytra, and branched antennae. [more]

Rhizophagidae

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Salpingidae

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Scolytidae

A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but nowadays it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family (Curculionidae). Well-known species are members of the type genus Scolytus - namely the European elm bark beetle S. multistriatus and the large elm bark beetle S. scolytus, which like the American elm bark beetle Hylurgopinus rufipes transmit Dutch elm disease fungi (Ophiostoma). Another well-known species of Europe is the Ips typographus. [more]

Scraptiidae

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Sphaerosomatidae

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Sphindidae

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Synchroidae

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Tenebrionidae

Darkling beetles (also known as darkening beetles) are a family of found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra. Darkling beetles eat both fresh and decaying vegetation. Major predators include birds, rodents, sunspiders, and lizards. The larval stages of several species are cultured as feeder insects for captive insectivores, and include the very commonly known mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio), and the lesser-known mini mealworms (Tenebrio obscurus). [more]

Tetratomidae

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Trictenotomidae

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Trogossitidae

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Zopheridae

Zopheridae is a family of that has grown considerably in recent years as the members of two other families have been included within its circumscription; these former families are the Monommatidae and the Colydiidae, which are now both considered subfamilies within the Zopheridae. There are over 100 genera in the redefined family, and hundreds of species worldwide. There is no vernacular common name for the new family, though some of the constituent subfamilies have their own, including the ironclad beetles, and the cylindrical bark beetles. [more]

At least 267 species and subspecies belong to the Family Zopheridae.

More info about the Family Zopheridae may be found here.

Sources

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Last Revised: September 22, 2009
2009/09/22 09:57:50