Pythidae
Guides
Priognathus
Priognathus is a genus of dead log beetles in the family Pythidae, established by LeConte in 1850. The genus contains a single described species, Priognathus monilicornis. Members of this genus are part of the small family Pythidae, which is associated with decaying wood habitats. Information on the biology and ecology of Priognathus remains limited due to its rarity and the scarcity of observations.
Priognathus monilicornis
Necklace-horned Dead Log Beetle
A small beetle in the family Pythidae, commonly known as the Necklace-horned Dead Log Beetle. Found in decaying wood habitats across western and central Canada. The common name refers to the beaded or necklace-like appearance of its antennae.
Pytho
dead log beetles, dead log bark beetles
Pytho is a small genus of saproxylic beetles in the family Pythidae, commonly known as dead log beetles or dead log bark beetles. The genus comprises approximately nine to ten described species distributed across the Holarctic region, recognized as typically boreal taxa. Species inhabit the cambial layer of dead trees, particularly conifers, where larvae feed on partially decomposed wood and bark. Several species have disjunct distributions spanning North America, Europe, and Japan, reflecting complex historical biogeographic patterns involving vicariance and dispersal across Beringia. Some species, such as P. abieticola, are considered relicts of primeval forests and are in decline across much of Central Europe.
Pytho niger
Black Pythid Beetle
Pytho niger is a species of dead log beetle in the family Pythidae, found in North America. It is commonly known as the Black Pythid Beetle. The species belongs to a small family of beetles associated with decaying wood habitats. Limited information is available on its specific biology and ecology.
Pytho seidlitzi
dead log beetle
Pytho seidlitzi is a species of dead log beetle in the family Pythidae, described by Blair in 1925. It is the sole member of the monophyletic P. seidlitzi species group, which is endemic to North America. The species is part of a genus whose ancestors likely became associated with conifers as early as the Jurassic period. Phylogenetic studies indicate that larval characters are more important than adult characters for defining species groups within Pytho.
Trimitomerus
Trimitomerus is a monotypic genus of beetles in the family Pythidae, commonly known as dead log beetles. The genus contains a single described species, Trimitomerus riversii. Members of this family are associated with decaying wood habitats.
Trimitomerus riversii
Trimitomerus riversii is a species of dead-log beetle in the family Pythidae, first described by Horn in 1888. It is endemic to North America. The genus Trimitomerus comprises elongate beetles associated with decaying wood habitats. Like other Pythidae, this species is thought to develop in rotting wood, though specific natural history details remain poorly documented. The family Pythidae is a small group of beetles historically allied with Bostrichidae and Anobiidae, now recognized as a distinct lineage within Bostrichiformia.