The family Peltidae represents a small, morphologically relatively homogeneous group of beetles associated mainly with decaying wood and fungal growths in forest ecosystems. Members of this family are usually small to medium-sized, dorsoventrally flattened beetles with an elongated to oval body, which is often covered in fine hairs. The elytra are usually smooth or finely grooved and generally cover the abdomen completely. The antennae are short, usually eleven-segmented, and slightly thickened towards the tip, becoming club-shaped. Both larvae and adults live under the bark of dead trees, where they feed primarily on fungi or mycelium. The family is distributed mainly in the temperate zone of the northern hemisphere, with the highest diversity recorded in the Holarctic region. In European fauna, it is represented by only a few genera, which are typical inhabitants of old-growth forests and often serve as indicators of well-preserved saproxylic habitats.

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Family Card

Peltis ferruginea

 

Peltis grossa

 

Thymalus limbatus