Passalidae is a

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

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 known variously as "bessbugs", "bess beetles", "betsy beetles" or "horned passalus beetles". Nearly all of the 500-odd species are tropical; species found in

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the C ...

are notable for their size, ranging from 20–43 mm, for having a single "horn" on the head, and for a form of

social behavior Social behavior is behavior among two or more organisms within the same species, and encompasses any behavior in which one member affects the other. This is due to an interaction among those members. Social behavior can be seen as similar to an ...

unusual among beetles. Bodies elongate-cylindrical and black overall; ventral surfaces may be covered with yellow

setae In biology, setae (singular seta ; from the Latin word for "bristle") are any of a number of different bristle- or hair-like structures on living organisms. Animal setae Protostomes Annelid setae are stiff bristles present on the body. Th ...

. The head is narrower than the thorax, with antennae consisting of 10

antennomere Antennae ( antenna), sometimes referred to as "feelers", are paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. Antennae are connected to the first one or two segments of the arthropod head. They vary widely in form but are always made of one ...

s with a three-segment club. The

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

are elongate with parallel sides, and heavily striated. They are subsocial (brood caring) beetles that live in groups within rotting logs or stumps. The beetles will excavate tunnel systems within rotting wood where the females then lay their eggs. They care for their young by preparing food for them and helping the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e construct the pupal case. Both adults and larvae must consume adult feces which have been further digested by

microflora Microbiota are the range of microorganisms that may be commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic found in and on all multicellular organisms, including plants. Microbiota include bacteria, archaea, protists, fungi, and viruses, and have been found to ...

for a time; an arrangement that might be described as a sort of external

rumen The rumen, also known as a paunch, is the largest stomach compartment in ruminants and the larger part of the reticulorumen, which is the first chamber in the alimentary canal of ruminant animals. The rumen's microbial favoring environment allows ...

. In addition, they are also able to produce fourteen acoustical signals, more than many

vertebrate Vertebrates () comprise all animal taxa within the subphylum Vertebrata () ( chordates with backbones), including all mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. Vertebrates represent the overwhelming majority of the phylum Chordata, wi ...

s. Adults produce the sounds by rubbing the upper surface of the

abdomen The abdomen (colloquially called the belly, tummy, midriff, tucky or stomach) is the part of the body between the thorax (chest) and pelvis, in humans and in other vertebrates. The abdomen is the front part of the abdominal segment of the to ...

against the hind wings. The larvae produce the sounds by rubbing the third leg against a striated area on the coxa of the second leg. While the

taxonomy Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

Nearctic The Nearctic realm is one of the eight biogeographic realms constituting the Earth's land surface. The Nearctic realm covers most of North America, including Greenland, Central Florida, and the highlands of Mexico. The parts of North Ameri ...

species is well-known (four species in the US, and 90 in Mexico), bess beetles in other parts of the world need further study. Of North American species, '' Odontotaenius disjunctus'' (''synonym: Popilius disjunctus'') is the familiar bessbug found throughout the eastern US and Canada, while ''O. floridanus'' has only been found in

Florida Florida is a U.S. state, state located in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia (U.S. state), Geo ...

on sand hills that used to be islands when Florida was flooded thousands of years ago. ''Ptichopus angulatus'' was recently discovered near the border of

Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Gua ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fo ...

. Its habitat is south to

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Cari ...

and it is commonly associated with the detritus chambers of

leafcutter ant Leafcutter ants, a non-generic name, are any of 47 species of leaf-chewing ants belonging to the two genera '' Atta'' and '' Acromyrmex''. These species of tropical, fungus-growing ants are all endemic to South and Central America, Mexico, a ...

nests (''Atta'' spp.). Two other species were reported from Arizona at the beginning of the 20th century, but have not been seen there since that time; they may have been brought from Mexico by a train hauling firewood. The oldest records of the family go back to the Cretaceous, with the genus '' Ceracyclus'' known from two species found in the

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 ...

aged

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 ...

, the genus appears to be closely related to the living genus '' Cylindrocaulus''. The family has been suggested to have a close relationship with the extinct family Passalopalpidae.

Selected species

*Genus '' Aceraius'' Aceraius laevicollis - Mindanao, Philippines

:'' Aceraius grandis'' *Genus '' Aulacocyclus'' :'' Aulacocyclus edentulus'' *Genus '' Ceracupes'' :'' Ceracupes arrowi'' *Genus '' Chondrocephalus'' :'' Chondrocephalus debilis'' :'' Chondrocephalus granulifrons'' *Genus '' Cylindrocaulus'' :'' Cylindrocaulus patalis'' *Genus '' Didimus'' :'' Didimus laevis'' :'' Didimus parastictus'' *Genus '' Heliscus'' :'' Heliscus tropicus'' *Genus '' Leptaulax'' :'' Leptaulax bicolor'' *Genus '' Odontotaenius'' :'' Odontotaenius disjunctus'' (patent-leather beetle) :'' Odontotaenius floridanus'' :'' Odontotaenius striatopunctatus'' *Genus ''

Ogyges Ogyges, also spelled Ogygos or Ogygus ( Ancient Greek: Ὠγύγης or Ὤγυγος), is a primeval mythological ruler in ancient Greece, generally of Boeotia, but an alternative tradition makes him the first king of Attica. Etymology Though th ...

'' :'' Ogyges laevior'' *Genus ''

Oileus In Greek mythology, Oileus or Oïleus (; grc, Ὀϊλεύς ''Oī̈leús'') was the king of Locris, and an Argonaut. Family Oileus's father was given as Hodoedocus (whom Oileus succeeded as King of Locris) and his mother as Agrianome (daught ...

'' :'' Oileus rimator'' *Genus '' Passalus'' :'' Passalus affinis'' :'' Passalus caelatus'' :'' Passalus elfriedae'' :'' Passalus inops'' :'' Passalus interruptus'' :'' Passalus interstitialis'' :'' Passalus jansoni'' :'' Passalus latifrons'' :'' Passalus pugionifer'' :'' Passalus punctatostriatus'' :'' Passalus punctiger'' :'' Passalus spiniger'' :'' Passalus unicornis'' *Genus '' Paxillus'' :'' Paxillus leachi'' :'' Paxillus pentataphylloides'' *Genus '' Pentalobus'' :'' Pentalobus barbatus'' *Genus '' Petrejoides'' :'' Petrejoides orizabae'' *Genus '' Popilius'' :'' Popilius eclipticus'' *Genus '' Proculus'' :'' Proculus burmeisteri'' :'' Proculus mniszechi'' *Genus '' Ptichopus'' :'' Ptichopus angulatus'' *Genus '' Publius'' :'' Publius agassizi'' *Genus '' Spasalus'' :'' Spasalus crenatus'' *Genus '' Spurius'' :'' Spurius bicornis'' *Genus ''

Verres Gaius Verres (c. 120–43 BC) was a Roman magistrate, notorious for his misgovernment of Sicily. His extortion of local farmers and plundering of temples led to his prosecution by Cicero, whose accusations were so devastating that his defence adv ...

'' :'' Verres corticicola'' :'' Verres hageni'' *Genus '' Veturius'' :'' Veturius transversus''

Footnotes

References

* Jack C. Schuster, "Passalidae", 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, ''

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 * BugGuid
Passalidae

External links

on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site
Sound recording of Passalidae at BioAcoustica
{{Taxonbar, from=Q227894 Beetle families

Selected species

See also

Footnotes

References

External links