Passandridae

Definition

A family of beetles (order Coleoptera) commonly known as the parasitic flat bark beetles. Passandridae are notable among beetles for having larvae that are exclusively ectoparasitic, feeding on the immature stages—eggs, larvae, or pupae—of other beetles and Hymenoptera. Adults are typically flattened and inhabit spaces under bark or in decaying wood, where they locate host colonies.

Etymology

Example

Passandridae larvae burrow into the brood cells of wood-boring beetles or social wasp nests, attaching to host larvae and consuming them while remaining externally positioned.

Synonyms

• Parasitic flat bark beetles

Related Terms

• Coleoptera
• Ectoparasite
• inquiline
• Cucujidae
• Laemophloeidae
• host-parasite interaction
• subcortical habitat

Usage Notes

The common name 'parasitic flat bark beetles' distinguishes Passandridae from the superficially similar but non-parasitic flat bark beetles in families such as Cucujidae and Laemophloeidae. The family's obligate ectoparasitic larval habit is rare among beetles and represents a distinct evolutionary strategy within the superfamily Cucujoidea. Identification to family typically requires examination of adult genitalia and larval mouthpart morphology.