| Prostomidae | |
|---|---|
_(22352849828).png) | |
| Prostomis mandibularis | |
.jpg) | |
| Dryocora howitti | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Superfamily: | Tenebrionoidea |
| Family: | Prostomidae C. G. Thomson, 1859 |
| Genera | |
Prostomidae is a family ofbeetles with no vernacular common name, though recent authors have coined the namejugular-horned beetles. They are often found in dead wood.[1] The family consist of two extantgenera with about 20 species.Prostomis americanus is known fromNorth America. Other species ofProstomis are found in Europe,Africa, thePacific region andEast Asia. Species ofDryocora are known fromNew Zealand,Australia andTasmania.[1]
Prostomidae are elongate beetles with parallel sidedelytra. They have the mandibles forward facing (prognathous) and have a large jugular process. The antennae are 11 segmented with a weak club formed by the last three segments. The large mandibles, small eyes, the elytra and pronotum of the same width, and atarsal formula of 4-4-4 make them distinctive. Larvae and adults are found mainly inside fallen logs.[2] The larvae feed on the rotten wood, particularly on the rotting heartwood of thick logs, as well as the mud-like matter found in red coloured decomposing wood.[3]
An extinct genus,Vetuprostomis is known from several species described from mid-CretaceousBurmese amber found in northern Myanmar. It is suggested to be more closely related toDryocora than toProstomis.[4][5]
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