Ant-nests
Guides
Diaperinae
Diaperinae is a subfamily of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) comprising more than 120 genera organized into 11 tribes. The subfamily exhibits considerable ecological diversity, including fungivorous species that inhabit fruiting bodies of bracket fungi, myrmecophilous species that live commensally within ant nests, and free-living forms. Some species display specialized adaptations such as reduced eyes for subterranean life, compact rounded body shapes for physical defense against ants, and cuticular hydrocarbon mimicry of host ant recognition signals.