Reduced-elytra
Guides
Lymexyloidea
ship-timber beetles
Lymexyloidea is a superfamily of beetles containing the single family Lymexylidae, commonly known as ship-timber beetles. These beetles are characterized by highly reduced elytra that expose the elongated abdomen and leave hind wings uncovered. The superfamily has a pantropical distribution with records from Africa, Central America, South America, and other regions. Members of this group have historically been considered among the most primitive beetles due to their simple morphology, though current phylogenetic analyses place them within or near the Tenebrionoidea. The oldest known fossil is a primitive Atractocerus from 100 million-year-old Burmese amber, earning the group the moniker 'living fossils.'
Meloe carbonaceus
oil beetle
Meloe carbonaceus is a species of blister beetle (family Meloidae) described by LeConte in 1866. The species is known from North America, with records from Alberta, Canada. Like other members of the genus Meloe, it is commonly referred to as an oil beetle. The species is represented by limited specimen holdings in museum collections.
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.