Cucujidae
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The Cucujidae, or flat bark beetles, are a family of distinctively flat beetles found worldwide (except Africa and Antarctica) under the bark of dead trees. The family has received considerable taxonomic attention in recent years and now consists of 70 species distributed in five genera.<ref>C. F. Lee and A. Pütz. (2008) A new species of Cucujus Fabricius, 1775 from China and key to the east–Palaearctic species of the genus (Coleoptera: Cucujidae). Entomologische Zeitschrift 118 (5): 211–213.</ref><ref>C. F. Lee and M. Satô. (2007) A Review of the Genus Cucujus Fabricius (Insecta: Cucujoidea: Cucujidae) from Taiwan, Japan, and China, with Descriptions of Two New Species and the Larvae of Cucujus mniszechi Grouvelle. Zoological Studies 46: 311–321.</ref><ref>Teresa Bonacci, Antonio Mazzei, Jakub Horákand, and Pietro Brandmayr. 2012. Cucujus tulliae sp. n. – an endemic Mediterranean saproxylic beetle from genus Cucujus Fabricius, 1775 (Coleoptera, Cucujidae), and keys for identification of adults and larvae native to Europe. Zookeys. 2012; (212): 63–79.</ref><ref>John W. M. Marris and Adam Ślipiński. 2014. A revision of the Pediacus Shuckard 1839 (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) of Asia and Australasia. Zootaxa 3754(1): 32–58.</ref><ref>Michael C. Thomas. 2004. A revision of Pediacus Shuckard (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) for America north of Mexico, with notes on other species. Insecta Mundi 17: 157–177 (2003).</ref><ref>J. C. Watt, J. W. M. Marris and J. Klimazsewski. 2001. A new species of Platisus (Coleoptera: Cucujidae) from New Zealand, described from the adult and larva. Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, 31: 327–339.</ref> It was indicated Cucujus species are scavengers, only feeding on pupae and larvae of other insects and on other subcortical beetles such as their own. Since the Cucujidae prey on larvae of potentially tree damaging beetles that spread fungal diseases, they are considered to be beneficial to the health of living trees.<ref>Bonacci, T., Mazzei, A., Naccarato, A., Elliani, R., Tagarelli, A., & Brandmayr, P. (2018). Beetles “IN red”: Are the ENDANGERED FLAT bark beetles CUCUJUS Cinnaberinus and c. Haematodes Chemically protected? (coleoptera: Cucujidae). The European Zoological Journal, 85(1), 128–136. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref>
Included genera are: Cucujus Fabricius, with 14 species and subspecies distributed throughout the Holarctic; Palaestes Perty, 8 spp., Neotropical; Pediacus Shuckard, 31 spp., mostly Holarctic, but extending south into the Neotropics and to Australia; Platisus Erichson, 5 spp. in Australia and New Zealand, and Thesaurus known from South America.
Cucujidae have elongate parallel-side bodies ranging from 6 to 25 mm in length. Most are brown colored, while others are black, reddish or yellow. Heads are triangular in shape, with filiform to moniliform antennae of 11 antennomeres, and large mandibles. The pronotum is narrower than the head.<ref name="Michael C. Thomas 2002 xiv + 861">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Michael C. Thomas and R.A.B. Leschen. 2010. Cucujidae Latreille, 1802. p. 350–354. In: Leschen, R.A.B., R.G. Beutel, and J.F. Lawrence. Coleoptera, Beetles. Vol. 2: Morphology and Systematics (Elateroidea, Bostrichiformia, Cucujiformia partim). Handbook of Zoology. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin.</ref>
Both larvae and adults live under bark, otherwise little is known of their habits.<ref name=":0">D. B. Smith and M. K. Sears. 1982. Mandibular structure and feeding habits of three morphologically similar coleopterous larvae: Cucujus clavipes (Cucujidae), Dendroides canadensis (Pyrochroidae), and Pytho depressus (Salpingidae). Canadian Entomologist 114: 173–175.</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Larvae and adults appear to be predacious.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Cucujus cinnaberinus seems to be able to colonize isolated habitats from persisting local populations if there is a sufficient quantity of suitable deadwood in the habitat and it has the other requirements of saproxylic beetles.<ref>HORAK, J., VAVROVA, E., & CHOBOT, K. (2010). Habitat preferences Influencing POPULATIONS, distribution and conservation of the Endangered Saproxylic beetle CUCUJUS cinnaberinus (coleoptera: Cucujidae) at the landscape level. European Journal of Entomology, 107(1), 81–88. {{#invoke:doi|main}}</ref>
The family was formerly larger, with subfamilies Laemophloeinae, Silvaninae, and Passandrinae (and some tenebrionoid genera mixed in), but revisions have raised the subfamilies to family status.<ref name="Michael C. Thomas 2002 xiv + 861"/>
While there have been claimed fossil records going back to the Early Cretaceous (such as those from the Crato Formation of Brazil), the oldest unambiguous records are from the Eocene.<ref name=":1" />
Species with extreme freezing toleranceEdit
Cucujus clavipes puniceus (red flat bark beetle) found in arctic regions like Canada and Alaska <ref name=roz>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> desiccates to 30–40% body water in winter vs 4% body water in the chironomid fly, Polypedilum vanderplanki. It uses a variety of anti-freeze proteins<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> in contrast with the non-protein xylomannan exploited by another arctic beetle Upis ceramboides.<ref name=roz />
ReferencesEdit
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