Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
arising from prominent tubercles; mandibles
falcate. Adults and larvae of most species
are predacious on aphids and other small
invertebrates.
EXAMPLES:
Coccinellinae -
Adalia bipunc-
tata
(two-spot ladybird); Epilachninae -
Subcoccinella vigintiquattuorpunctata
(twentyfour-spot ladybird).
fourth segment very small and often over-
looked); antennae not clubbed. Larvae usually
eruciform, with well-developed thoracic legs.
19. Family CERAMBYCIDAE
(long-horn beetles)
Small to very large, wood-boring beetles with
very long antennae; elytra often elongated and
brightly coloured. Larvae soft and fleshy, with an
enlarged prothorax and much reduced, non-
functional thoracic legs. The larvae burrow
within the trunks and branches of dead or weak-
ened trees, and are of particular importance to
the timber trade.
EXAMPLES:
Cerambycinae -
Aromia moschata
(musk beetle); Lamiinae -
Super da carcharias
and
S. populnea
(poplar longhorn beetles),
Tetrops praeusta
(little longhorn beetle).
18. Family TENEBRIONIDAE
A very large family, with adults of generally dull
appearance but diverse structure; most are inca-
pable of flight and many are apterous; antennae
usually weakly clubbed. Larvae are often super-
ficially of similar appearance to those of the fam-
ily Elateridae (q.v.) but antennae well developed
and posterior spiracles mounted on distinct pro-
cesses
(Fig.
72). Several species are important
pests in food warehouses.
EXAMPLES:
Diaperinae -
Alphitobius
spp.
(lesser mealworm beetles),
Latheticus oryzae
(long-headed flour beetle); Tenebrioninae -
Tenebrio
spp. (mealworm beetles); Ulominae
-
Gnatocerus
spp. (horned flour beetles),
Tribolium
spp. (flour beetles).
20. Family BRUCHIDAE (pulse beetles)
(p.
137
et seq.)
Seed-feeding, hunch-backed beetles with the
head extended anteriorly
(Fig.
73) but, unlike
that of weevils (superfamily Curculionoidea),
not forming a distinct rostrum (snout); elytra
often truncated. Associated mainly with legumi-
nous plants.
EXAMPLES:
Acanthoscelides obtectus
(dried
bean beetle),
Bruchus pisorum
(pea beetle).
Superfamily
CHRYSOMELOIDEA
A large and varied group of mainly phyto-
phagous beetles with 5-segmented tarsi (but the
Fig.
72 Anal segment of a mealworm - family
Tenebrionidae.
Fig.
73 A bean beetle,
Bruchus rufimanus -
family
Bruchidae (x12).
