Ant-like Flower Beetles

Beetles in the Anthicidae family have a distinct ant-like appearance with a constricted head, slender legs, and antennae. They are omnivorous, feeding on small arthropods, pollen, fungi, and pests’ eggs or larvae. Larvae can be predators, fungus-eaters, or omnivorous. Some species are used for biological pest control due to their feeding habits. Anthicidae beetles are attracted to cantharidin, which acts as a defense mechanism against predators.

Description
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Their heads constrict just in front of the pronotum, forming a neck, and the posterior end of the pronotum is usually narrow as well. Legs and antennae are slender, heightening the ant-like appearance, and the body is sparsely covered with small hairs, called setae.

Biology
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Adult beetles are omnivorous, being known to consume small arthropods, pollen, fungi, and whatever else they can find. Some species are of interest as biological control agents, as they can eat the eggs or larvae of pests. Larvae are either omnivorous, predators, or fungus-eaters; the young of one species of Notoxus have been observed boring into sweet potato tubers. Many members of the family are attracted to cantharidin, which they seem to accumulate and that deters possible predators.

Taxonomy
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Synonyms of the family include Notoxidae and Ischaliidae. The earliest known members of the family are from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) aged Lebanese amber, including Camelomorpha of the subfamily Macratriinae.

References
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Donald S. Chandler, “Anthicidae”, in Ross H. Arnett Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, American Beetles (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2

Ancestry Graph

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