Checkered Beetles
Cleridae
Classification
- Phylum: Arthropoda
- Subphylum: Hexapoda
- Class: Insecta
- Order: Coleoptera
- Suborder: Polyphaga
- Superfamily: Cleroidea
- Family: Cleridae
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Cleridae: //ˈkle.rɪˌdeɪ//
These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.
Images
Summary
Cleridae, or checkered beetles, are a diverse family of predaceous beetles with a vast habitat range and feeding preferences. They play a critical ecological role as natural predators and have potential applications in pest management.
Physical Characteristics
Cleridae are elongated and oval in shape, with a body length ranging from 3 to 24 millimetres (0.12 to 0.94 in). They are typically covered with bristly hairs and display ornate body color patterns, including colors like red, yellow, orange, or blue. The antennae can be clubbed, saw-tooth, or thread-like. They possess a tarsal formula of 5–5–5 (five tarsomeres on each leg) and lack eversible vesicles on their abdomen and pronotum.
Identification Tips
Identification is based on characteristics such as the 5–5–5 tarsal formula, the division of sternites, the head width comparison to the pronotum, and the absence of eversible vesicles, which help distinguish them from similar families like Melyridae.
Habitat
Cleridae can be found in various habitats, including moist, sunny environments where flowering plants are abundant, forests with trees, and areas with shrubbery where they may feed on larvae of bees, wasps, and termites.
Distribution
Cleridae have a worldwide distribution, with approximately 3,500 species globally and around 500 species in North America.
Diet
Most genera are predaceous, primarily feeding on other beetles and their larvae, while some species are scavengers or feed on pollen.
Life Cycle
Cleridae have a holometabolous life cycle, consisting of the egg, larva, pupa, and adult stages. The life cycle can last from 35 days to more than 3 years, depending on temperature and prey availability.
Reproduction
Females lay between 28 and 42 eggs predominantly under the bark of trees, with copulation occurring after the female has fed sufficiently for egg development. Eggs hatch into larvae that are covered in hair and seek food shortly after hatching.
Ecosystem Role
Cleridae are key players in biological control of other insects due to their predacious nature, particularly as predators of bark beetles and woodborers.
Economic Impact
Some species have minor economic impacts due to their role in stored product entomology by infesting dried or smoked meats. They are also studied for potential use in integrated pest management.
Similar Taxa
Misconceptions
Some people may confuse Cleridae with Melyridae due to their predaceous characteristics, but the absence of eversible vesicles is a key distinguishing feature.
Tags
- Checkered Beetles
- Cleridae
- Predatory Beetles