The family Laemophloeidae comprises small to very small beetles, which are predominantly restricted to habitats beneath the bark of dead or dying trees. The body of the adults is conspicuously dorsoventrally flattened; the head and pronotum have fine grooves or ridges on the sides, and the male genitalia are inverted, which is an important diagnostic feature of the family. Most species lead a hidden lifestyle beneath the bark of dying trees (saproxylic species), where both adults and larvae feed mainly on microscopic fungi, moulds or detritus, or, in some cases, prey on the larvae of other bark-dwelling insects. Some species have secondarily adapted to synanthropic conditions and have become globally significant pests of stored grain and food supplies. The family is distributed almost worldwide, with the highest diversity found in the tropics. The importance of the family lies partly in its role in wood decomposition and the nutrient cycle in forest ecosystems, but also in agriculture, as some species are major stored-product pests.

Number of Species:

Family Card

Cryptolestes capensis

 

Cryptolestes corticinus

 

Cryptolestes duplicatus

 

Cryptolestes ferrugineus

 

Cryptolestes pusilloides

 

Cryptolestes pusillus

 

Cryptolestes spartii

 

Cryptolestes turcicus

 

Laemophloeus kraussi

 

Laemophloeus monilis

 

Lathropus sepicola

 

Leptophloeus alternans

 

Leptophloeus clematidis

 

Notolaemus castaneus

 

Notolaemus unifasciatus

 

Placonotus testaceus