| Passandridae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Taphroscelidia linearis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Superfamily: | Cucujoidea |
| Family: | Passandridae Erichson, 1845 |
| Genera | |
AncistriaErichson, 1845 | |
Passandridae, the "parasitic flat bark beetles," are a family ofbeetles notable for being one of the very few beetle families with larvae that are, as far as known, exclusively ectoparasitic on the immature stages of other beetles and Hymenoptera.[1][2][3]
Adults are small to moderate sized beetles, 3-35mm, with heavily sclerotized bodies that are either dorso-ventrally compressed (genera occurring under bark) or subcylindrical in cross section (genera inhabiting wood-borer tunnels). Adults are generally brown or black, rarely with a color pattern, with prominent mandibles, confluent gular sutures, thick, moniliform antennae (antenna with equally sized spherical segments that looks like a string of beads), unequal tibial spurs on the front legs, and generally a characteristic system of grooves and/or carina on the dorsal surface.[4][5]
Larvae are highly modified for their parasitoid habits. Firstinstar larvae are heavily sclerotized, flattened, and spiny. Later instar larvae are physogastric (swollen posteriorly), with simple setae, short unsegmented legs, and reduced mouthparts.[5] The larvae are especially associated with woodboring insects, aslonghorn beetles andweevils. The adults are likely predaceous.[6]
Passandridae consists of 109 described species in nine genera. OnlyPassandra Dalman occurs in both the Old and New Worlds, being represented in the Neotropical region by a single species,P. fasciata (Gray). The generaAncistria,Aulonosoma,Nicolebertia, andPassandrina are restricted to the Old World, whileCatogenus,Passandrella,Scalidiopsis, andTaphroscelidia are found only in the New World. OnlyCatogenus andTaphroscelidia occur in the Nearctic. The largest genus isAncistria, with 34 described species.
They are members of the superfamilyCucujoidea. The oldest record of the family isMesopassandra, from mid-Cretaceous (latestAlbian-earliestCenomanian) agedBurmese amber from Myanmar, around 100 million years old, which is placed in its own subfamily as the most primitive known member of the group.[6]