Cerylonidae

Cerylonidae
Temporal range: Eocene–Recent
Cerylon fagi
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Superfamily: Coccinelloidea
Family: Cerylonidae
Billberg, 1820
Subfamilies
Synonyms
  • Aculagnathidae Oke, 1932
  • Dolosidae
  • Pleosomidae
  • Ploeosomidae
Cerylon figures 1-4

Cerylonidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Coccinelloidea. They are small to tiny (0.8–3 mm (0.031–0.118 in)), smooth, shiny, hairless beetles, only lightly punctured. The roughly 450 species worldwide are placed in 50 or so genera, mostly tropical and subtropical. They are most common under the bark of dead trees, but can also occur in compost and other decaying plant material. Little is known specifically about their biology, but they are thought to be either predators that feed on other small animals or fungus-feeders.

Systematics

Their taxonomy is complex. The "cerylonid series" is a cluster of highly derived former Cucujoidea families considered by recent authorities to comprise a separate superfamily Coccinelloidea. Several of these families (Alexiidae, Euxestidae, Murmidiidae) used to be included within the Cerylonidae.

The Cerylonidae in their current circumscription comprise the subfamilies Ceryloninae, Loeblioryloninae, and Ostomopsinae sensu Ślipiński (1990), with around 344 species in 38 genera:

Data sources: s = Ślipiński (1990), i = ITIS, c = Catalogue of Life, g = GBIF, b = Bugguide.net

Extinct genera

References

  1. 1 2 "Cerylonidae". Catalogue of Life. Species 2000: Leiden, the Netherlands. Retrieved 10 May 2025.
  2. 1 2 Robertson, James A.; Ślipiński, Adam; Moulton, Matthew; Shockley, Floyd W.; Giorgi, Adriano; Lord, Nathan P.; McKenna, Duane D.; Tomaszewska, Wioletta; Forrester, Juanita; Miller, Kelly B.; Whiting, Michael F.; McHugh, Joseph V. (2015). "Phylogeny and classification of Cucujoidea and the recognition of a new superfamily Coccinelloidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia)". Systematic Entomology. 40: 745–778. doi:10.1111/syen.12138.
  3. 1 2 Ślipiński, Stanisław Adam (1990). "A monograph of the World Cerylonidae (Coleoptera; Cucujoidea), Part I - Introduction and higher classification". Annali del Museo civico di storia naturale "Giacomo Doria". 88: 1–273.
  4. ↑ Ślipiński, Adam (2016). "Three new replacement names for beetle genera in Cerylonidae, Zopheridae and Cerambycidae (Insecta: Coleoptera)". Zootaxa. 4161 (1): 119–120. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.4161.1.5.
  5. ↑ "Cerylonidae Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  6. ↑ "Cerylonidae". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  7. ↑ "Cerylonidae Family Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  8. ↑ Bukejs, Andris; Ślipiński, Adam; Mitchell, Jerit L.; McKellar, Ryan C.; Barbi, Mauricio; Larsson, Hans C. E.; Alekseev, Vitalii I. (2021). "First fossil representative of Cerylonidae (Coleoptera: Coccinelloidea) described using X-ray micro-computed tomography, from Eocene Baltic amber". Zootaxa. 5032 (2): 225–236. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.5032.2.4.