Agyrtidae

Taxobox
name = Agyrtidae
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Coleoptera
subordo = Polyphaga
superfamilia = Staphylinoidea
familia = Agyrtidaee
familia_authority = Thomson 1859
subdivision_ranks = Subfamilies
subdivision =
Necrophilinae
Agyrtinae
Pterolomatinae

Agyrtidae or primitive carrion beetles are a small family of polyphagan beetles They are found in mostly temperate areas of the northern hemisphere and in New Zealand. They are feeding on decaying organic material.

Characteristics

Agyrtidae are small or middle-sized beetles (length 4-14 mm). They have usually oval body, but the Pterolomatinae are superficially similar to ground beetles. Abdomen is with five visible ventral sclerites, procoxal cavities internally open. Hindwings have anal lobe but no radial hinge. [M.Hansen. Phylogeny and classification of the staphyliniform beetle families (Coleoptera). Biologiske Skrifter 48, Copenhagen, 1997]

ystematics

Currently, about 60 species are known. The family is divided into three subfamilies:
*Necrophilinae
**"Zeanecrophilus"
**"Necrophilus"
*Agyrtinae
**"Agyrtes"
**"Ecanus"
**"Ipelates"
**"Lyrosoma"
*Pterolomatinae
**"Apteroloma"
**"Pteroloma"

Until recently, species of this family had been included in the family Silphidae (as tribes Lyrosomatini and Agyrtini), but are now considered more closely related to the family Leiodidae. [Lawrence,J.F. & Newton,A.F., Jr. Evolution and classification of beetles. Annu. Rev. of Ecology and Systematics 13, 1982.]

References

External links

* [http://tolweb.org/Agyrtidae/9617 Agyrtidae at Tolweb]