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NET-WINGED BEETLES

LYCIDAE

T

he Lycidae are medium-sized, brightly

colored, and usually slow-moving beetles,

often found on trees and feeding from flowers in

forested areas. While they would appear to be

vulnerable, they are protected from predators by

their warning coloration, which indicates that they

are distasteful or toxic. When the net-like veins on

their soft elytra are bent or broken, it triggers the

release of a range of chemicals that often cause the

predator to reject the lycid, and thereafter to avoid

similarly colored insects. These well-defended

beetles have become models for other insects that

mimic their bright warning coloration and so gain

protection, even though in many cases they lack

the defensive secretions themselves. Different

lycid genera adopt different patterns of warning

coloration, usually involving red, yellow, metallic

blue, and black.

LYCIDAE—Net-Winged Beetles

family

Lycidae

known species

4,600

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica, most

abundant and species-rich in the tropics

habitat

Forest habitats, from light woodlands to

tropical rainforests

size

2–40 mm

diet

Larvae are predatory, feeding on snails,

worms, insect larvae, as well as other

invertebrates. Many adults feed on nectar,

while others retain the larval diet, and some

do not feed at all for their short adult life