Eucinetidae is a

family Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s, notable for their large

coxal plate In vertebrate anatomy, hip (or "coxa"Latin ''coxa'' was used by Celsus in the sense "hip", but by Pliny the Elder in the sense "hip bone" (Diab, p 77) in medical terminology) refers to either an anatomical region or a joint. The hip region is ...

s that cover much of the first

ventrite The sternum (pl. "sterna") is the ventral portion of a segment of an arthropod thorax or abdomen. In insects, the sterna are usually single, large sclerites, and external. However, they can sometimes be divided in two or more, in which case the ...

of the abdomen, sometimes called plate-thigh beetles. The family is small for beetles, with about 50 species in 11 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 are assumed to eat various sorts of

fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from ...

. Around half of the genera possess strongly modified mouthparts, particularly the labrum, adapted for suctorial feeding.

Genera

These genera belong to the family Eucinetidae: * '' Eucinetella'' * ''

Eucinetus ''Eucinetus'' is a genus of plate-thigh beetles in the family Eucinetidae. There are at least four described species in ''Eucinetus''. Species These 16 species belong to the genus ''Eucinetus'': * ''Eucinetus bicolor'' Lawrence, 2019 * ''Eucine ...

'' Germar, 1818 * ''

Euscaphurus ''Euscaphurus'' is a genus of plate-thigh beetles in the family Eucinetidae. There are at least three described species in ''Euscaphurus''. Species These three species belong to the genus ''Euscaphurus'': * '' Euscaphurus nikkon'' Vít, 1977 * ...

'' Casey, 1885 * '' Noteucinetus'' Bullians & Leschen, 2005 * ''

Nycteus In Greek mythology, Nycteus (; el, Νυκτεύς, Nukteús, nocturnal) was a king of Thebes. His rule began after the death of Polydorus, and ended when he was succeeded by his brother Lycus. Family Nycteus and his brother Lycus were the son ...

'' Latreille, 1829 * '' Peltocoleops'' Ponomarenko, 1990 * '' Subulistomella'' Sakai, 1980 * †'' Huaxiacinectus'' Hong 1995 Huachi-Huanhe Formation, China, Early Cretaceous (

Hauterivian The Hauterivian is, in the geologic timescale, an age in the Early Cretaceous Epoch or a stage in the Lower Cretaceous Series. It spans the time between 132.9 ± 2 Ma and 129.4 ± 1.5 Ma (million years ago). The Hauterivian is preceded by the Va ...

) * Suctorial clade: ** '' Eucilodes'' Vit, 1985 ** †'' Cretohlezkus'' Jałoszyński 2019

Burmese amber Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...

, Myanmar, mid Cretaceous (

Albian The Albian is both an age of the geologic timescale and a stage in the stratigraphic column. It is the youngest or uppermost subdivision of the Early/Lower Cretaceous Epoch/Series. Its approximate time range is 113.0 ± 1.0 Ma to 100.5 ± 0.9 M ...

Cenomanian The Cenomanian is, in the ICS' geological timescale, the oldest or earliest age of the Late Cretaceous Epoch or the lowest stage of the Upper Cretaceous Series. An age is a unit of geochronology; it is a unit of time; the stage is a unit in the s ...

) ** ''

Bisaya Visayans (Visayan: ''mga Bisaya''; ) or Visayan people are a Philippine ethnolinguistic group or metaethnicity native to the Visayas, the southernmost islands of Luzon and a significant portion of Mindanao. When taken as a single ethnic group, ...

'' Reitter, 1884 ** '' Jentozkus'' Vít, 1977 ** ''

Tohlezkus ''Tohlezkus'' is a genus of plate-thigh beetles in the family Eucinetidae. There are at least three described species in ''Tohlezkus''. Species These three species belong to the genus ''Tohlezkus'': * ''Tohlezkus inexpectus'' Vit, 1995 * ''Tohl ...

'' Vít, 1977 ** '' Proeuzkus'' Vit, 2000

References

Daniel K. Young Daniel is a masculine given name and a surname of Hebrew language, Hebrew origin. It means "God is my judge"Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 68. (cf. Gabriel (given ...

, "Eucinetidae", in

Ross H. Arnett, Jr. Ross Harold Arnett Jr. (April 13, 1919 – July 16, 1999) was an American entomologist noted for his studies of beetles, and as founder of the ''Coleopterist's Bulletin''. Born in Medina, New York, he was a star student at Cornell University, wher ...

and

Michael C. Thomas Michael Charles Thomas (May 5, 1948 – October 14, 2019) was an American entomologist who co-authored the book series ''American Beetles''. Born in Miami, Florida, Thomas graduated from the University of South Florida in 1970 with a Bachelor o ...

, ''

American Beetles ''American Beetles'' is the single most comprehensive description of the beetles of North America north of the tropical area of Mexico. It was started by Ross H. Arnett, Jr. as an update of his classic ''The Beetles of the United States''; along ...

'' (CRC Press, 2002), vol. 2

External links

Elateriformia (Coleoptera) - EUCINETIDAE
Scirtoidea Beetle families {{Eucinetidae-stub