opposite | Rhipsideigma raffrayi

(Cupedidae) imitates a bird dropping on a

Madagascan rainforest leaf. This mimicry

is interesting, since cupedids are a much

older lineage than birds!

Micromalthidae and are much larger, but they

resemble no other group of beetles. Four species of

Cupedidae, reticulated beetles, can be quite easily

found in North America. In western USA, males of

Priacma serrata are known to be attracted in numbers

to some brands of laundry bleach, which apparently

other continents with trade. Adults are

hardly ever seen, as the larvae are able

to reproduce without them. As beetle

taxonomy is mainly based on adults, the

species was considered rare. This suggests

that other species of Micromalthidae may

well exist undiscovered in less populated

parts of the world, since tiny larvae in wood

do not always attract attention. For this

reason, DNA examination of timber may

reveal new, unknown Micromalthidae

smells like the pheromone produced by the female.

In Asia, Africa, Australia, and South America, only

a few species of Cupedidae are known, and in

Australia and South America, some Ommatidae,

but none are ever common, and finding them is

usually a matter of great persistence or good luck.

below | Omma stanleyi (Ommatidae) at

rest on dead wood in Australia; this is

probably the most primitive-looking living

member of this ancient lineage of beetles.

above | Micromalthus debilis (Micromalthidae) A rare

picture of an adult Micromalthus, or Telephone-pole

Beetle, among larvae. Strangely, it is the larvae that

will reproduce; the adult is not capable.