Ant-like Flower Beetles
Lat. “Anthicidae“ The Anthicidae are a family of beetles that resemble ants. They are sometimes called ant-like flower beetles or ant-like beetles. The family comprises over 3,000 species in about 100 genera.
Hierarchy Description 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 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 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 Donald S. Chandler, “Anthicidae”, in Ross H. Arnett Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, American Beetles (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2
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classDef active fill:#fff
arthropods("phylum: Arthropods"):::active
arthropods-->insects("class: Insects"):::active
insects-->beetles("order: Beetles"):::active
beetles==>ant-like-flower-beetles("family: Ant-like Flower Beetles"):::active
beetles-.->checkered-beetles("family: Checkered Beetles")
beetles-.->click-beetles("family: Click Beetles")
beetles-.->darkling-beetles("family: Darkling Beetles")
beetles-.->false-blister-beetles("family: False Blister Beetles")
beetles-.->false-flower-beetles("family: False Flower Beetles")
beetles-.->fire-colored-beetles("family: Fire-colored Beetles")
beetles-.->fruitworm-beetles("family: Fruitworm Beetles")
beetles-.->ground-beetles("family: Ground Beetles")
beetles-.->jewel-beetles("family: Jewel Beetles")
beetles-.->lady-beetles("family: Lady Beetles")
beetles-.->leaf-beetles("family: Leaf Beetles")
beetles-.->longhorn-beetles("family: Longhorn Beetles")
beetles-.->net-winged-beetles("family: Net-winged Beetles")
beetles-.->sap-feeding-beetles("family: Sap-feeding Beetles")
beetles-.->scarabs("family: Scarabs")
beetles-.->shining-flower-beetles("family: Shining Flower Beetles")
beetles-.->skin-beetles("family: Skin Beetles")
beetles-.->soft-winged-flower-beetles("family: Soft-winged Flower Beetles")
beetles-.->soldier-beetles("family: Soldier Beetles")
beetles-.->straight-snouted-weevils("family: Straight-snouted Weevils")
beetles-.->true-weevils("family: True Weevils")
click ant-like-flower-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/ant-like-flower-beetles/"
click checkered-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/checkered-beetles/"
click click-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/click-beetles/"
click darkling-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/darkling-beetles/"
click false-blister-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/false-blister-beetles/"
click false-flower-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/false-flower-beetles/"
click fire-colored-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/fire-colored-beetles/"
click fruitworm-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/fruitworm-beetles/"
click ground-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/ground-beetles/"
click jewel-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/jewel-beetles/"
click lady-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/lady-beetles/"
click leaf-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/leaf-beetles/"
click longhorn-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/longhorn-beetles/"
click net-winged-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/net-winged-beetles/"
click sap-feeding-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/sap-feeding-beetles/"
click scarabs href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/scarabs/"
click shining-flower-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/shining-flower-beetles/"
click skin-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/skin-beetles/"
click soft-winged-flower-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/soft-winged-flower-beetles/"
click soldier-beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/soldier-beetles/"
click straight-snouted-weevils href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/straight-snouted-weevils/"
click true-weevils href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/true-weevils/"
click arthropods href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/"
click insects href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/"
click beetles href "/en/catalogue/arthropods/insects/beetles/"
Further Information
„Ant-like Flower Beetles“ on wikipedia.org
„Ant-like Flower Beetles“ on iNaturalist.org
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