TheTrictenotomidae are a small family ofbeetles in the superfamilyTenebrionoidea, containing fifteen species in two genera. Most species are found in theOriental realm where they live in montane forest habitats. The family is considered, based on larval characters as well as sequence-based studies,[1] to be closely related to theSalpingidae.[2]
Adult Trictenotomidae can be mistaken for Cerambycidae (Prioninae) or Lucanidae but their 5-5-4tarsal formula makes them distinctive. They have a long 11-segmented antenna. There are no fossil species known as yet, and nearly all the species are found mainly along the Himalayas extending into China, Korea, the Sunda Islands, and the Philippine Archipelago.[3]Trictenotoma grayi is found in the Western Ghats of peninsular India whileT. templetonii is found in Sri Lanka. Adult beetles are attracted to lights and specimens are found widely in collections around the world however very little was known of their life-history until the habits ofTrictenotoma formosana were studied in captivity in Taiwan in 2019. Based on that species, these are thought to breed in wood, the eggs being laid under bark. The eggs hatch after about 10 days. The larvae are carnivorous and can be cannibalistic. They build tunnels in soft wood in which they stay. They feed on their exuviae and may undergo 8-9 moults over the course of one and a half years before they pupate. The pupae eclose in 40 to 46 days as adults. Adults feed on tree sap.[4]
The scape of the antenna is longer than segments 2 and 3 together and the second segment isg rounded. The eight antennal segment is simple inTrictenotoma and has lateral projections inAutocrates. The terminal three antennal segments form a club.[5][6]
^Lin, Zong-Ru; Hu, Fang-Shuo (2019). "Unravel the Century-old Mystery of Trictenotomidae: Natural History and Rearing Technique for Trictenotoma formosana Kriesche, 1919(Coleoptera: Trictenotomidae)".Taiwanese Journal of Entomological Studies.4 (1):1–8.
^Leschen, Richard A.B.; Beutel, Rolf G.; Lawrence, John F. (2011).Morphology and Systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim). Walter de Gruyter. p. 704.
^Telnov, Dmitry; Drumont, Alain (2020). "Revisional Notes on Trictenotoma Gray, 1832 (Coleoptera: Trictenotomidae) in Indochina Bioregion, with Description of a New Species".Annales Zoologici.70 (2):205–227.doi:10.3161/00034541ANZ2020.70.2.003.S2CID220405003.
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