Eucinetidae

Taxobox
name = Eucinetidae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Coleoptera
subordo = Polyphaga
infraordo = Elateriformia
superfamilia = Scirtoidea
familia = Eucinetidae
familia_authority = Lacordaire, 1857
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = "Bisaya" "Eucilodes" "Eucinetella" "Eucinetus" "Euscaphurus" "Jentozkus" "Nycteus" "Subulistomella" "Tohlezkus"

Eucinetidae is a family of beetles, notable for their large coxal plates that cover much of the first ventrite of the abdomen, sometimes called "plate-thigh beetles". The family is small for beetles, with about 37 species in nine genera, but are found worldwide.

Adults are generally elliptical in shape, ranging from 0.8 to 4.0 mm in length, and black or brown in color. The head is small and bent underneath.

Eucinetids live in detritus or in fungus-covered tree bark, where both adults and larvae eat various sorts of fungi.

References

* Daniel K. Young, "Eucinetidae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, "American Beetles" (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2