Cucujidae
| Cucujidae | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cucujus cinnaberinus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Superfamily: | Cucujoidea |
| Family: | Cucujidae Latreille, 1802 |
| Genera | |
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Wikispecies has information related to: Flat bark beetle |
The Cucujidae, sometimes called flat bark beetles are a family of distinctively flat beetles found worldwide under the bark of dead and live trees. The family consists of about 40 species in four genera.
Cucujidae have elongate parallel-side bodies ranging from 6 to 25 mm in length. Most are brown colored, while others are black, reddish or yellow. Heads are triangular in shape, with filiform antennae of 11 antennomeres, and large mandibles. The pronotum is narrower than the head.[1]
Both larvae and adult live under the bark, otherwise little is known of their habits.
The family was formerly larger, with subfamilies Laemophloeinae, Silvaninae, and Passandrinae (and some tenebrionoid genera mixed in), but recent revisions have raised the subfamilies to family status.
[edit] Species with extreme freezing tolerance
Cucujus clavipes puniceus (red flat bark beetle) found in arctic regions like Canada[2] and Alaska[3] dessicates to 30-40% body water in winter vs 4% body water in the Chironomid fly, Polypedilum vanderplanki. It uses a variety of anti-freeze proteins[4][5] in contrast with the non-protein xylomannan exploited by another arctic beetle Upis ceramboides.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Michael C. Thomas (2002). Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas. ed. "Cucujidae". 2. CRC Press.
- ^ "Page with a photo of Cucujus clavipes". http://www.canadianbiodiversity.mcgill.ca/english/species/insects/insectpages/Cucujidae.htm.
- ^ a b Ned Rozell (Oct 2007). "Alaska beetles survive 'unearthly' temperatures". http://www.sitnews.us/1007news/101807/101807_akscience.html.
- ^ Carrasco MA, Buechler SA, Arnold RJ, Sformo T, Barnes BM, Duman JG (2012 Feb 2;75(4):1220-34). "Investigating the deep supercooling ability of an Alaskan beetle, Cucujus clavipes puniceus, via high throughput proteomics". J Proteomics. PMID 22094879.
- ^ Sformo T, Walters K, Jeannet K, Wowk B, Fahy GM, Barnes BM, Duman JG (2010 Feb 1). "Deep supercooling, vitrification and limited survival to -100{degrees}C in the Alaskan beetle Cucujus clavipes puniceus (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) larvae". J Exp Biol. 213 (3): 502-9. PMID 20086136.
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