| Rhagophthalmidae | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Rhagophthalmus hiemalis | |
Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Elateriformia |
| Superfamily: | Elateroidea |
| Family: | Rhagophthalmidae Olivier, 1907 |
| Synonyms | |
Rhagophthalminae | |
TheRhagophthalmidae are afamily ofbeetles within the superfamilyElateroidea. Members of this beetle family havebioluminescent organs on the larvae, and sometimes adults, and are closely related to thePhengodidae (American glowworm beetles), though historically they have been often treated as asubfamily ofLampyridae, or as related to that family.[1] Some recent evidence suggested that they were thesister group to the Phengodidae, and somewhat distantly related to Lampyridae, whose sister taxon wasCantharidae,[2] but more reliable genome-based phylogenetics placed (Rhagophthalmidae + Phengodidae) as the sister group to the Lampyridae.[3][4]
Whatever their relationships may be, Rhagophthalmidae are distributed in theOld World, and little is known of their biology. Females are usually wingless and look like larvae, but have an adult beetle's eyes, antennae and legs; in the genusDiplocladon, they resemble larvae even more, with small light organs on all trunk segments. Larvae and females live in soil and litter and are predaceous; males may be attracted to lights at night.[5][6]
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