The family Throscidae comprises a small group of beetles within the superfamily Elateroidea, which is closely related to the click beetles (Elateridae). At first glance, they resemble smaller click beetles. Like them, they have an elongated, teardrop-shaped body and are capable of propelling themselves into the air using a special spring mechanism at the junction of the prothorax and mesothorax. However, they can be reliably distinguished from true click beetles by the firmly fused upper surface of the head (the forehead and mandibles point downwards) and, above all, by their antennae, which are terminated by a distinctive club-shaped tip. Adults are inconspicuously coloured in shades of brown to black and lead a hidden existence under bark, in decaying wood or in forest litter. The larvae spend a long time in the soil and decaying wood, where they feed primarily on fungal structures, particularly mycorrhizal fungi associated with tree roots. Although members of this family are found almost worldwide, they are rarely encountered, and most species are regarded as indicators of well-preserved forest habitats with an abundance of old dead wood.

Number of Species:

Family Card

Aulonothroscus brevicollis

 

Aulonothroscus laticollis

 

Trixagus atticus

 

Trixagus carinifrons

 

Trixagus dermestoides

 

Trixagus duvalii

 

Trixagus elateroides

 

Trixagus exul

 

Trixagus gracilis

 

Trixagus leseigneuri

 

Trixagus meybohmi

 

Trixagus obtusus