Archostemata
Guides
Micromalthidae
Telephone-pole Beetles
Micromalthidae is an ancient, relictual family of beetles in the suborder Archostemata, represented today by a single extant species, Micromalthus debilis. The family has a fossil record extending to the Late Permian (approximately 260 million years ago), making it one of the oldest surviving beetle lineages. Members are characterized by highly unusual reproductive biology, including paedogenesis (reproduction by larvae) and parthenogenesis. The family shows extreme morphological reduction in adults, particularly males, with larvae serving as the primary feeding and persistent life stage.
Micromalthus
telephone-pole beetle
Micromalthus is a monotypic genus of beetles containing the single living species Micromalthus debilis, commonly known as the telephone-pole beetle. It represents the sole extant member of the family Micromalthidae, making it a "living fossil" with all other relatives extinct. The genus has been the subject of considerable taxonomic controversy, historically placed in various families including Lymexylidae and Telegeusidae before its current classification in Archostemata. Its reproductive biology is extraordinarily complex, involving multiple developmental pathways and forms of parthenogenesis.
Priacma
Priacma is a genus of reticulated beetles (family Cupedidae) containing one extant species, Priacma serrata, found in western North America. The genus also includes fossil species, notably P. megapuncta from Cenomanian-aged Burmese amber. Priacma represents one of the few surviving lineages of the once-diverse Archostemata, an ancient suborder of beetles. The genus was established by J. L. LeConte in 1874.
Priacma serrata
Priacma bleach beetle
Priacma serrata is the sole extant species in the genus Priacma, a relict lineage of reticulated beetles in the family Cupedidae. Males are strongly attracted to the odor of bleach and other chlorine-based compounds, a unique behavioral trait that facilitates collection and study. The species exhibits pronounced sexual dimorphism, with females substantially larger than males and rarely encountered. Adult males possess non-functional digestive tracts and do not feed. Populations display episodic mass emergence events rather than continuous adult activity.
Prolixocupes
Prolixocupes is a genus of reticulated beetles in the family Cupedidae, suborder Archostemata. The genus contains two described species with disjunct distributions: P. latreillei in central Chile and western Argentina, and P. lobiceps in western North America (Arizona, California, and Baja California, México). Archostemata is a small, relictual suborder of Coleoptera representing some of the most basal beetle lineages.
Prolixocupes lobiceps
Prolixocupes lobiceps is a species of reticulated beetle in the family Cupedidae, first described by LeConte in 1874. It belongs to the suborder Archostemata, one of the most basal lineages of beetles. The species was historically known from western North America, with first records from México documented in 2012 from the Baja California Peninsula. As with other Cupedidae, it possesses the characteristic reticulated wing venation that gives the family its common name.
Tenomerga cinerea
Eastern Ashen Reticulated Beetle
Tenomerga cinerea is a species of reticulated beetle in the family Cupedidae, commonly known as the Eastern Ashen Reticulated Beetle. It is found in North America, with confirmed records from Ontario and Québec in Canada. As a member of the suborder Archostemata, it represents one of the more primitive lineages of beetles.