Ant nest beetle

Ant nest beetles
Platyrhopalopsis mellei (Paussini: Platyrhopalina)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Adephaga
Superfamily:	Caraboidea
Family:	Carabidae
Subfamily:	Paussinae Latreille, 1807
Tribes
Metriini LeConte, 1853 Ozaenini Hope 1838 Paussini Latreille, 1807 Protopaussini Gestro, 1892

Ant nest beetles (Paussinae), known also as flanged bombardier beetles or paussines, are a large subfamily of ground beetles (Carabidae). Most Paussinae are obligate myrmecophiles predatory on ant larvae and workers.

Paussines are characterised by moderate size (6-20 mm), by glandular hairs that produce secretions attractive to ants and by the oddly apomorphic antennal structures of many species. Their pygidial glands can produce explosive secretions, making them bombardier beetles. But they are not particularly close relatives of the typical bombardier beetles (Brachininae); these are close relatives of the advanced Harpalinae, while the flanged bombardier beetles are a distinct and ancient lineage of ground beetles.

Systematics

Arthropterus cerapteroides (Paussini: Cerapterina)

Paussina species from South Africa

Heteropaussus hastatus (Paussini: Pentaplatarthrina)

Protopaussus sp.

Metriini

• Metrius Eschscholtz, 1829
• Sinometrius Wrase & Schmidt, 2006

Ozaenini

Basal or incertae sedis

• Afrozaena Jeannel, 1946
• Anentmetus Andrewes, 1924
• Entomoantyx Ball & McCleve, 1990
• Itamus Schmidt-Goebel, 1846
• Microzaena Fairmaire, 1901
• Ozaeniella Basilewsky, 1976
• Sphaerostylus Chaudoir, 1848

Subtribe Eustrina

• Dhanya Andrewes, 1919
• Eustra Schmidt-Goebel, 1846

Subtribe Mystropomina Horn, 1881

• Mystropomus Chaudoir, 1848

Subtribe Ozaenina Hope, 1838

• Ozaena Olivier, 1812
• Platycerozaena Banninger, 1927
• Pachyteles Perty, 1830

Subtribe Pachytelina

• Crepidozaena Deuve, 2001
• Filicerozaena Deuve, 2001
• Gibbozaena Deuve, 2001
• Goniotropis Gray, 1832
• Inflatozaena Deuve, 2001
• Mimozaena Deuve, 2001
• Ozaenaphaenops Deuve, 1986
• Serratozaena Deuve, 2001
• Tachypeles Deuve, 2001
• Tropopsis Solier, 1849

Subtribe Pseudozaenina

• Pseudozaena Laporte de Castelnau, 1834

Subtribe Physeina Jeannel, 1946

• Physea Brulle, 1834
• Physeomorpha Ogueta, 1963

Paussini

Subtribe Carabidomemnina

• Carabidomemnus

Subtribe Cerapterina Billberg, 1820

• Arthropterus MacLeay, 1838
• Cerapterus Swederus, 1788
• Megalopaussus Lea, 1906
• Mesarthropterus

Subtribe Ceratoderina Darlington 1950

• Ceratoderus Westwood 1841
• Leleupaussus
• Merismoderus
• Paussomorphus

Subtribe Paussina Latreille, 1807

• Hylotorus
• Paussus Linné, 1775

Subtribe Pentaplatarthrina

• Heteropaussus Thomson, 1860
• Hexaplatarthus
• Homopterus Westwood, 1838
• Hyperpentarthrus
• Pentaplatarthus

Subtribe Platyrhopalina Jeannel, 1946

• Lebioderus Westwood, 1838
• Euplatyrhopalus Desneux, 1905
• Platyrhopalopsis Desneux, 1905
• Platyrhopalus _{Westwood, 1838}
• Stenorhopalus Wasmann, 1918

Fossil genera

• †Arthropterites
• †Eopaussus
• †Protocerapterus
• †Succinarthropterus

Protopaussini

• Protopaussus Gestro, 1892