Elateroidea

Taxobox
name = Elateroidea

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image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Adelocera murina", a click beetle
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Coleoptera
subordo = Polyphaga
infraordo = Elateriformia
superfamilia = Elateroidea
superfamilia_authority = Leach, 1815
subdivision_ranks = Families
subdivision = About 15-20, see text

Elateroidea is a large superfamily of beetles. It contains the familiar click beetles, fireflies, and soldier beetles, and their relatives.

Certain clusters of families within the superfamily are more strongly related to one another; for example, the Elateridae has close ties to Anischiidae, Cerophytidae, Eucnemidae, and Throscidae, and some of these beetles can also "click".

Likewise, the Lampyridae are very closely related to Drilidae, Omalisidae, Phengodidae (which includes Telegeusidae), and the doubtfully distinct Rhagophthalmidae; members of these families are also bioluminescent, at least as larvae. This group of families also includes many taxa whose females are larviform, though this is also known from a few other families in the superfamily.

The validity and relationships of some families, such as Podabrocephalidae, Rhagophthalmidae and Rhinorhipidae, are not fully resolved.

Families

* Anischiidae
* Artematopodidae Lacordaire, 1857 – soft-bodied plant beetles (= Eurypogonidae)
* Brachypsectridae Leconte & Horn, 1883 – Texas beetles
* Cantharidae – soldier beetles
* Cerophytidae – rare click beetles
* Drilidae Blanchard, 1845
* Elateridae – click beetles (including Ampedidae, Dicronychidae, Lissomidae, Prosternidae, Protelateridae, Pyrophoridae, Synaptidae)
* Eucnemidae Eschscholtz, 1829 – false click beetles (including Perothopidae)
* Lampyridae – firefly beetles
* Lycidae – net-winged beetles
* Omalisidae Lacordaire, 1857 (= Homalisidae, Omalysidae)
* Omethidae LeConte, 1861 – false firefly beetles
* Phengodidae LeConte 1861 – glowworm beetles (including Telegeusidae)
* Plastoceridae Crowson, 1972
* Podabrocephalidae Pic, 1930
* Rhagophthalmidae (sometimes in Phengodidae, might belong in Lampyridae)
* Rhinorhipidae Lawrence, 1988
* Throscidae Laporte, 1840 – false metallic wood-boring beetles (= Balgidae, Trixagidae)

External links

* [http://tolweb.org/Elateroidea/9084 Tree of Life - Elateroidea]