144
SOFT-BODIED PLANT AND
CICADA PARASITE BEETLES
DASCILLOIDEA
nother of the smaller superfamilies of
Polyphaga, Dascilloidea has only two families
and a total of about 150 species. Usually found in
small numbers around the world, some species can
occasionally be abundant. Adults are short-lived,
and so not often seen, and in a large proportion
of species females are unable to fly, which has
no doubt impeded their ability to disperse.
Dascilloidea is considered closely related to
Byrrhoidea, and several families have changed
from one superfamily to the other.
The two families presently placed in Dascilloidea
are the soft-bodied plant beetles (Dascillidae), which
have about 15 genera and 80 species, and the cicada
parasite beetles (Rhipiceridae), with 7 genera and
70 species. Dascillidae have soil-living, root-feeding
larvae, while in Rhipiceridae, as their common
name suggests, larvae attack subterranean nymphs
of cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae), feeding as an
external parasite.
The common European Dascillus cervinus is
called the Orchid Beetle because the adults are
often found in well-drained, flower-rich meadows
where wild orchids grow, but although the larvae
are soil dwelling and root feeding, they may
only incidentally feed on orchid roots, as they
DASCILLOIDEA
superfamily
Dascilloidea
known species
150
distribution
Worldwide except Antarctica, but few
species and rarely seen
habitat
From tropical forest to semidesert
size
10–20 mm
diet
Larvae of Dascillidae feed on plant roots,
while those of Rhipiceridae are parasites
on the nymphs of cicadas
notes
Males of the genus Rhipicera have
extraordinary plumose antennae, which are
designed to maximize their surface area to
make them more efficient at detecting tiny
quantities of chemicals, in this case the
female pheromone, in the air. The males
climb to the top of a branch or grass stem
below | Rhipicera (Rhipiceridae)
This Australian cicada parasite has
extraordinary elaborate antennae for
detecting scent particles in the air.
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