Flat bark beetle

Cucujus
Palaestes
Pediacus
Platisus

The flat bark beetles are a family Cucujidae (Latreille 1802) of distinctively flat beetles found worldwide under the bark of dead trees. The family consists of about 40 species in four genera.

Flat bark beetles have elongate parallel-side bodies ranging from 6 to 25 mm in length. Most are brightly-colored, mainly red or yellow, also black. Heads are triangular in shape, with filiform antennae of 11 antennomeres , and large mandibles. The pronotum is narrower than the head.

Both larvae and adult live under the bark, otherwise little is known of their habits.

The family was formerly larger, with subfamilies Laemophloeinae , Silvanainae , and Passandrinae (and some tenebrionid genera to boot), but recent revision has raised to the subfamilies to family status.

Reference

• Michael C. Thomas, "Cucujidae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, American Beetles (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2

External link

• Page with a photo of Cucujus clavipes