Telephone-pole beetle
Encyclopedia
The telephone-pole beetle, Micromalthus debilis, is a beetle
native to the eastern United States
, and the only species in the family
Micromalthidae.
The beetle is elongate, ranging from 1½–2½ mm in length, and a dark brown, with yellow legs and antennae. The head is larger than the thorax, with large eyes protruding from either side.
The larvae are wood-borers that feed on moist and decaying chestnut
and oak
logs. They have also been reported as causing damage to buildings and poles (hence the name); however, reports of the species are infrequent and it is unknown whether they are rare, or common and unrecognized. The life cycle is unusual in that the cerambycoid stage of the larva can either develop into an adult female, or give birth to caraboid larvae. The species has been spread to various parts of the world by human commerce, probably in timber.
Classification of Micromalthus debilis is controversial and unsettled. The species, first reported by LeConte
in 1878, was long considered one of the Polyphaga
, and placed in Lymexylidae or Telegeusidae, or as a family within Cantharoidea. However, characteristics of larvae, wings, and male genitalia show that it must be in the suborder Archostemata
.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
native to the eastern United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and the only species in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Micromalthidae.
The beetle is elongate, ranging from 1½–2½ mm in length, and a dark brown, with yellow legs and antennae. The head is larger than the thorax, with large eyes protruding from either side.
The larvae are wood-borers that feed on moist and decaying chestnut
Chestnut
Chestnut , some species called chinkapin or chinquapin, is a genus of eight or nine species of deciduous trees and shrubs in the beech family Fagaceae, native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce.-Species:The chestnut belongs to the...
and oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
logs. They have also been reported as causing damage to buildings and poles (hence the name); however, reports of the species are infrequent and it is unknown whether they are rare, or common and unrecognized. The life cycle is unusual in that the cerambycoid stage of the larva can either develop into an adult female, or give birth to caraboid larvae. The species has been spread to various parts of the world by human commerce, probably in timber.
Classification of Micromalthus debilis is controversial and unsettled. The species, first reported by LeConte
John Lawrence LeConte
John Lawrence LeConte was the most important American entomologist of the 19th century, responsible for naming and describing approximately half of the insect taxa known in the United States during his lifetime, including some 5,000 species of beetles...
in 1878, was long considered one of the Polyphaga
Polyphaga
Polyphaga is the largest and most diverse suborder of beetles; the name is derived from two two Greek words: poly-, meaning 'many', and phagein, meaning 'to eat', so the suborder is called the “eaters of many things”...
, and placed in Lymexylidae or Telegeusidae, or as a family within Cantharoidea. However, characteristics of larvae, wings, and male genitalia show that it must be in the suborder Archostemata
Archostemata
Archostemata is the smallest suborder of beetles, consisting of fewer than fifty known species organized into five families. Archostemata is an ancient lineage with a number of primitive characteristics. They are similar in morphology to the first beetles, which appear in the fossil record...
.
Links
- Wikispecies:Micromalthidae
- Tree of Life page, with pictures and video
- The life cycle of Micromalthus debilis