Elateriformia is an

infraorder Order ( la, ordo) is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and ...

polyphaga Polyphaga is the largest and most diverse suborder of beetles. It comprises 144 families in 16 superfamilies, and displays an enormous variety of specialization and adaptation, with over 350,000 described species, or approximately 90% of the b ...

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. The two largest families in this group are buprestids, of which there are around 15,000 described

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of ...

, and

click beetle Elateridae or click beetles (or "typical click beetles" to distinguish them from the related families Cerophytidae and Eucnemidae, which are also capable of clicking) are a family of beetles. Other names include elaters, snapping beetles, ...

s, of which there are around 10,000 described

. The infraorder consists of six superfamilies:Lawrence, J. F. & Newton, A. F. Jr. 1995. ''Families and subfamilies of Coleoptera (with selectes genera, notes, references and data on family-group names).'' In: Pakaluk y Slipinski (Eds.). Biology, phylogeny and classification of Coleoptera: Papers celebrating the 80th birthday of Roy A. Crowson. Muzeum i Instytut Zoologii PAN, Warszawa. Pp. 779-1006. . *

Buprestoidea Buprestoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It contains two families: * Buprestidae Leach 1815, the jewel beetle Buprestidae is a family of beetles known as jewel beetles or metallic wood-boring beetles because of their glossy iridescent colo ...

— the metallic wood-boring beetles *

Byrrhoidea Byrrhoidea is a superfamily of beetles belonging to Elateriformia that includes several families which are either aquatic or associated with a semi-aquatic habitat. Other than the superfamily Hydrophiloidea, most of the remaining Polyphagan beet ...

— families including

long-toed water beetle Dryopidae is a family of beetles, commonly named long-toed water beetles, in the superfamily Byrrhoidea. It was described by Gustaf Johan Billberg in 1820. Description Long-toed water beetles are named for their extended claws. Adults have dense ...

moss beetle Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bry ...

s and mud-loving beetles *

Dascilloidea Dascilloidea is a superfamily of polyphagan beetles, comprising two families Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpos ...

Elateroidea The Elateroidea are a large superfamily of beetles. It contains the familiar click beetles, fireflies, and soldier beetles and their relatives. It consists of about 25,000 species. Description Elateroidea is a morphologically diverse group ...

— including the

s and soldier beetles *

Rhinorhipoidea ''Rhinorhipus'' is a genus of beetles that contains a single species, ''Rhinorhipus tamborinensis'' from southern Queensland, Australia. It is the sole member of the family Rhinorhipidae and superfamily Rhinorhipoidea. It is an isolated lineage n ...

Scirtoidea Scirtoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is traditionally considered to consist of four families: Clambidae, Decliniidae Decliniidae is a family of beetles belonging to Scirtoidea. It contains the single genus ''Declinia'' with two species ...

References

Insect infraorders {{Elateriformia-stub

See also

References