Belongs within: Tenebrionoidea.
Contains: Eurygeniini, Formicomini, Notoxus, Anthicus.
The Anthicidae are a family of elongate, usually hairy beetles which have the back of the head constricted into a distinct ‘neck’. Most species are found in decaying vegetation or leaf litter, and are believed to be scavengers. A number of species of the subfamily Anthicinae are found in association with ants which they resemble in superficial appearance.
Within the Anthicidae, the genus Ischalia is distinguished by the presence of prominent lateral and epipleural ridges on the elytra, together with the pronotum with lateral margins parallel from the middle to the strongly angulate basal angles (Chandler 2002). Members of the subfamily Notoxinae have a tuberculate anterior projection of the pronotum overhanging the head. The Tomoderinae lack a distinct collar or flange on the pronotal apex but have the pronotum strongly constricted laterally and across the dorsum, and have the metacoxae widely separated by a broadly subtruncate projection of the first abdominal sternite (Chandler 2002). The Eurygeniinae are commonly found on flowers and have scoop-like mandibles adapted for feeding on pollen (Bouchard 2014). The Lemodinae are an Australasian group with larvae found under bark and in leaf litter; adults are often strikingly coloured (Lawrence & Britton 1991).
Characters (from Lawrence & Britton 1991): Elongate, black, brown, yellow or red, sometimes bicoloured, almost always clothed with decumbent and/or erect hairs. Antennal club, if present, very weak; head usually abruptly constricted behind eyes to form neck, antennal insertions exposed; eyes not to only slightly emarginate; apical segment of maxillary palp slightly to strongly expanded apically, often securiform or cultriform; pronotum without lateral carinae, almost always constricted at middle, near base, or at base and apex; mesepisterna meet or almost meet at middle; penultimate tarsal segment lobed beneath; first two ventrites usually free. Larvae elongate, parallel-sided, lightly sclerotised or occasionally with dark and light pattern dorsally. Antennal sensorium usually broad and dome-like; usually with single pair of well-developed stemmata (occasionally five); median endocarina sometimes present; mandibular mola usually reduced and sub-basal; mala usually simple (occasionally cleft); S9 usually simple (occasionally two basal teeth); urogomphi, if present, often with accessory mesal processes near base; segment 10 more or less transverse, posteroventrally oriented.
<==Anthicidae [Ischaliidae, Notoxidae] |--SteropinaeC02 |--CopobaeninaeC02 |--AfreminaeC02 |--Ischalia Pascoe 1860 [Ischaliinae]C02 | `--I. (Eupleurida LeConte 1862)C02 |--Macratria Newman 1838 [=Macrarthria Erichson 1840, Macrarthrius LaFérte-Senéctère 1849; Macratriinae]C02 | `--M. australis King 1869M86 |--TomoderinaeC02 | |--HolcopygeC02 | `--Tomoderus La Ferté-Sénectère 1849C02 | |--T. constrictusC02 | |--T. microcephalus Pic 1903H61 | `--T. vinctus Erichs. 1842M86 |--LemodinaeB14 | |--LemodinusB14 | |--TrichanancaB14 | |--LagriomorphaLB91 | `--LemodesB14 | |--L. atricollis Oberthür 1884M86 | |--L. coccinea Boheman 1858B14 | |--L. elongataB14 | |--L. mastersi Macleay 1872M86 | `--L. splendensB14 |--EurygeniinaeB14 | | i. s.: EgestriomimaLB91 | | EgestriaLB91 | | |--E. griseolineata Fairm. 1879M86 | | |--E. pallitibia Fairm. 1879M86 | | |--E. suturalis Pascoe 1871M86 | | `--E. taeniata Pascoe 1871M86 | | Thambospasta Werner 1974C02 | | `--T. howdeniC02 | | Salimuzzamania Abdullah 1968C02 | | `--*S. uniformisC02 | |--EurygeniiniC02 | |--MitraelabriniC02 | `--IctistygnaLB91 [IctistygniniC02] | |--I. adusta Pascoe 1866M86 | `--I. vetula Pascoe 1866M86 `--AnthicinaeB14 |--FormicominiLB91 |--MicrohoriiniC02 |--Notoxini [Notoxinae]C02 | |--NotoxusC02 | |--PlesionotoxusC02 | |--Squamanotoxus Chandler 2001C02 | `--Mecynotarsus LaFérte-Senéctère 1847C02 | |--M. albellus Pascoe 1866M86 | |--M. concolor King 1869M86 | |--M. kingi Macleay 1872M86 | |--M. kreusleri King 1869M86 | |--M. mastersi Macleay 1872M86 | `--M. ziczac King 1869M86 `--AnthiciniB14 |--AnthicusH61 |--Omonadus Mulsant & Rey 1866 [incl. Hemantus Casey 1895, Trapezicomus Pic 1894]C02 |--Tanarthrus LeConte 1851 [incl. Tanarthropsis Casey 1895]C02 |--Amblyderus LaFérte-Senéctère 1849 [incl. Inamblyderus Pic 1911]C02 | `--A. scabricepsC02 |--Leptanthicus Werner 1958C02 | `--L. staphyliniformisC02 |--Sapintus Casey 1895C02 | `--S. fulvipesC02 |--Stricticomus Pic 1894 [=Sticticomus Pic 1894]C02 | `--S. tobiasC02 |--Baulius Casey 195C02 | `--B. tenuisC02 |--Malporus Casey 1895C02 | `--M. formicariusC02 |--Cyclodinus Mulsant & Rey 1866 [incl. Thicanus Casey 1895]C02 | `--C. texanusC02 |--Euvacusus Casey 1904C02 | `--E. coloradanusC02 |--Vacusus Casey 1895C02 | `--V. formicetorumC02 |--Formicilla LeConte 1851C02 | `--F. mundaC02 |--Ischyropalpus LaFérte-Senéctère 1849 [incl. Lappus Casey 1895]C02 | |--I. nitidulusL86 | `--I. turgidicollisC02 `--Acanthinus LaFérte-Senéctère 1849 [incl. Dilandius Casey 1895, Liobaulius Casey 1904]C02 |--A. argentinus (Pic 1913)B14 |--A. australiensisB14 `--A. zetekiC02 Anthicidae incertae sedis: Zealanthicus sulcatus Werner & Chandler 1995ED04 Pseudonotoxus Pic 1899H61 |--P. brevisH61 |--P. photophilus van Hille 1961H61 `--P. punctatus Pic 1932H61 Endomia Castelnau 1840 [incl. Ochthenomus Schmidt 1842]H61 |--‘Ochthenomus’ bivittatus Truqui 1855G89 |--E. elongata (Pic 1895) [=Ochthenomus elongatus]H61 |--E. obscura (Pic 1895) [=Ochthenomus obscurus]H61 `--‘Ochthenomus’ punctatus LaFerté-Sénectère 1847E12 ProtomacratriaP92 NeostereopalpusRS15
*Type species of generic name indicated
References
[B14] Bouchard, P. (ed.) 2014. The Book of Beetles: A lifesize guide to six hundred of nature’s gems. Ivy Press: Lewes (United Kingdom).
[C02] Chandler, D. S. 2002. Anthicidae Latreille 1819. In: Arnett, R. H., Jr, M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley & J. H. Frank (eds) American Beetles vol. 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea pp. 549–558. CRC Press.
[E12] Evenhuis, N. L. 2012. Publication and dating of the Exploration Scientifique de l’Algérie: Histoire Naturelle des Animaux Articulés (1846–1849) by Pierre Hippolyte Lucas. Zootaxa 3448: 1–61.
[ED04] Ewers, R. M., & R. K. Didham. 2004. A first assessment of New Zealand beetles restricted to large forest areas. Weta 27: 33–40.
[G89] Gestro, R. 1889. Viaggio ab Assab nel Mar Rosso dei signori G. Doria ed O. Beccari con il R. Avviso “Esploratore” dal 16 Novembre 1879 al 26 Febbraio 1880.—IV. Coleotteri. Annali del Museo Civico di Storia Naturale di Genova, Serie 2a, 7: 5–72.
[H61] Hille, J. C. van. 1961. Coleoptera: Anthicidae. In: Hanström, B., P. Brinck & G. Rudebeck (eds) South African Animal Life: Results of the Lund University Expedition in 1950–1951 vol. 8 pp. 217–258. Almqvist & Wiksell: Uppsala.
[LB91] Lawrence, J. F., & E. B. Britton. 1991. Coleoptera (beetles). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 543–683. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).
[L86] Lindquist, E. E. 1986. The world genera of Tarsonemidae (Acari: Heterostigmata): a morphological, phylogenetic, and systematic revision, with a reclassification of family-group taxa in the Heterostigmata. Memoirs of the Entomological Society of Canada 118 (S136): 1–517.
[M86] Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part IV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (2): 259–380.
[P92] Poinar, G. O., Jr. 1992. Life in Amber. Stanford University Press: Stanford.
[RS15] Robertson, J. A., A. Ślipiński, M. Moulton, F. W. Shockley, A. Giorgi, N. P. Lord, D. D. McKenna, W. Tomaszewska, J. Forrester, K. B. Miller, M. F. Whiting & J. V. McHugh. 2015. Phylogeny and classification of Cucujoidea and the recognition of a new superfamily Coccinelloidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia). Systematic Entomology 40: 745–778.
A species of Formicomus was a pollen-foraging pollinator of nutmeg in southern India, so clearly diverse feeders.