Clambidae

Clambidae
Temporal range: Barremian–Recent
Clambus punctulum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Elateriformia
Superfamily: Scirtoidea
Family: Clambidae
Fischer, 1821
Genera

5

Synonyms[1]

Ptismidae Kirejtshuk & Azar, 2016

Clambidae is a family of beetles. They are known commonly as the minute beetles[2] or the fringe-winged beetles.[3] They are found worldwide on every continent except Antarctica.[2]

These are tiny beetles with bodies measuring 0.7 to 2mm in length. They are flattened to convex in shape and some can roll into a ball. Some are hairless, while some are quite hairy or scaly.[4] The margins of the wings are lined with long hairs.[2]

Clambids commonly feed on fungi.[4]

The family is divided into 5 genera and about 70 described species.[2] The largest and most widespread genus is Clambus, which occurs around the world. The genus Sphaerothorax is found in Australia and New Zealand.[5] Acalyptomerus is circumtropical.[6] The latter two genera have undergone long term morphological stasis, with fossils identifiable to both genera being known from the 99 million year old Burmese amber. The oldest records of the group are the extinct genera Eoclambus and Ptisma from the Early Cretaceous (Barremian) aged Lebanese amber.[1]

Genera:

  1. ^ a b Cai, Chenyang; Lawrence, John F.; Yamamoto, Shûhei; Leschen, Richard A. B.; Newton, Alfred F.; Ślipiński, Adam; Yin, Ziwei; Huang, Diying; Engel, Michael S. (2019-01-16). "Basal polyphagan beetles in mid-Cretaceous amber from Myanmar: biogeographic implications and long-term morphological stasis". Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 286 (1894): 20182175. doi:10.1098/rspb.2018.2175. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 6367173. PMID 30963875.
  2. ^ a b c d Majka, C. G., & Langor, D. (2009). Clambidae (Coleoptera) of Atlantic Canada. Journal of the Acadian Entomological Society 5(7), 32-40.
  3. ^ Clambidae. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
  4. ^ a b Lawrence, J.F., et al. 2000 onwards. Clambidae. Elateriformia (Coleoptera): descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval for families and subfamilies. Version 9 October 2005.
  5. ^ Endrödy-Younga, S. (1990). Clambidae of New Zealand (Coleoptera: Eucinetoidea). New Zealand Journal of Zoology 17(1), 119-36.
  6. ^ Endrödy-Younga, S. (1998). Acalyptomerus Crowson: the circumtropical genus of the family Clambidae (Coleoptera: Clambidae). Koleopterologische Rundschau 68, 199-203.