Cleroidea
Guides
Ababa
Ababa is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Thanerocleridae, established by Casey in 1897. These beetles belong to the order Coleoptera and are part of the diverse Cleroidea superfamily. The genus is currently accepted in taxonomic databases but has no documented observations on citizen science platforms.
Byturidae
fruitworms, fruitworm beetles
Byturidae is a small family of cleroid beetles comprising over 15 described species in two subfamilies. The family is primarily distributed in the Holarctic region and Southeast Asia. Larvae of some genera, particularly Byturus, are significant agricultural pests of Rubus fruits (raspberries and blackberries), while others feed on catkins. Adults feed on developing leaves, flowers, and pollen. The family includes two subfamilies: Platydascillinae (Southeast Asia) and Byturinae (Holarctic).
Lophocateridae
Lophocateridae is a small family of cleroid beetles comprising over 100 species in 14+ genera. Formerly treated as a subfamily or tribe of Trogossitidae, molecular phylogenetic analyses led to its elevation to family rank in 2019. The family is recovered as sister to Chaetosomatidae and Trogossitidae sensu stricto. Extant species occupy diverse ecological niches including fungivory, herbivory, and predation, primarily in association with dead wood habitats. The family has a fossil record extending to the Early Cretaceous.
Mauroniscidae
Mauroniscidae is a small family of cleroid beetles containing approximately 30 described species across five or six genera. The family was erected by Majer in 1995, having been previously classified as part of Melyridae. All known species are restricted to the Americas. Biological details remain largely unknown due to limited study.
Melyridae
Soft-winged Flower Beetles, Soft-wing Flower Beetles
Melyridae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, containing over 100 genera worldwide with approximately 520 species in 48 genera in North America. Members are commonly found on flowers, with most adults and larvae being predaceous. The family includes three recognized subfamilies: Dasytinae, Malachiinae, and Melyrinae. Some species, notably in the genus Choresine, have been found to contain potent batrachotoxins, potentially serving as a dietary source for toxic birds and poison-dart frogs.
Orthopleurinae
Orthopleurinae is a subfamily of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) established by Böving and Craighead in 1931. It is currently treated as a synonym of Korynetinae in modern classifications. The group contains few documented observations, with only 8 records in iNaturalist. Its members belong to the superfamily Cleroidea within the diverse beetle suborder Polyphaga.
Rhadalidae
Rhadalidae is a family of small beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, elevated from subfamily status within Melyridae. Adults are predators or pollen-feeders, while larvae are likely carnivorous. The family has a worldwide distribution excluding Australasia, with documented diversity in Mediterranean regions including Cyprus and Romania.
Thanerocleridae
Thanerocleridae is a small family of predaceous cleroid beetles comprising 36 extant species in 10 genera. Formerly classified as a subfamily of Cleridae, it was elevated to family rank based on molecular data. The family has a cosmopolitan distribution concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions, with one relictual temperate genus (Zenodosus) in North America. Species occupy habitats associated with wood-decaying fungi and tree bark, where they prey on small beetles.
Thaneroclerus
checkered beetles
Thaneroclerus is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Thanerocleridae, established by Lefebvre in 1838. The genus is part of the cleroid beetle superfamily Cleroidea. At least one European species, Thaneroclerus buquet, has been described. The family Thanerocleridae was historically treated as a subfamily within Cleridae but is now recognized as a distinct family.
Thymalidae
Thymalidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, recently elevated from subfamily status within Trogossitidae based on molecular phylogenetic studies. The family comprises two subfamilies with markedly different distributions and ecologies: Decamerinae, found in Central and South America and associated with flowers, and Thymalinae, containing only the genus Thymalus, which has a Holarctic and Oriental distribution and is associated with tree bark and deadwood. In Europe, Thymalus limbatus is the sole representative, restricted to natural forests with large deadwood accumulations.
Trogossitidae
bark-gnawing beetles
Trogossitidae is a small family of beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, commonly known as bark-gnawing beetles. The family has undergone significant taxonomic revision, with many former members reassigned to separate families (Lophocateridae, Peltidae, Protopeltidae, Rentoniidae, and Thymalidae) as of 2019. Under the modern circumscription, the family contains approximately 400 species in 25 genera, reduced from roughly 600 species in over 50 genera under previous definitions. Members are predominantly predatory and/or mycophagous, with both adults and larvae associated with wood habitats.
Trogossitinae
Trogossitinae is a subfamily of beetles within the family Trogossitidae, first described by Latreille in 1802. Members of this subfamily are primarily associated with forest habitats and are often found under bark or in decaying wood. The group has been the subject of taxonomic revision, with a comprehensive review published in 2014. The subfamily contains multiple genera and is part of the cleroid beetle lineage within the superfamily Cleroidea.