Bothrideridae

Definition

A family of small beetles (Coleoptera) in the superfamily Coccinelloidea, commonly known as cocoon-forming beetles or dry bark beetles. Members are typically found under bark or in decaying wood, with many species exhibiting ectoparasitic or predatory habits on wood-boring insect larvae. The family is cosmopolitan but most diverse in Old World tropics; historically treated as a subfamily of Colydiidae but now recognized as phylogenetically distinct.

Etymology

Example

Bothriderid larvae of the genus Bothrideres spin silken cocoons within the galleries of wood-boring beetles such as Scolytinae bark beetles, where they feed as ectoparasitoids on host pupae.

Synonyms

• cocoon-forming beetles
• Dry bark beetles

Related Terms

• Coccinelloidea
• Colydiidae
• Coccinellidae
• ectoparasitoid
• bark beetle
• Coleoptera

Usage Notes

Distinguished from the superficially similar Colydiidae (cylindrical bark beetles) by larval morphology and molecular phylogenetics; placement in Coccinelloidea rather than Cucujoidea reflects modern systematic revisions. Adults are often compact and somewhat cylindrical, with clubbed antennae.