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SKIFF AND TORRENT BEETLES

MYXOPHAGA

MYXOPHAGA—Skiff and Torrent Beetles

suborder

Myxophaga

known species

102

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica, common

nowhere

habitat

Marginal habitats, including hot springs,

waterfalls, snow melts, and the splash zone

of mountain streams

size

0.8–2.6 mm

diet

Algae and other encrusting substances

notes

Recently, improvements to synchrotron

technology have allowed scientists to access

fossil insects preserved inside opaque

substances, such as cloudy amber, and to

scan and reconstruct their appearance.

Recently, an international team applied this

Sphaerius, found on most continents. One species

found in Britain, less than 1 mm long, is called

Sphaerius acaroides, meaning “mitelike,” which

is a good name as these beetles can easily be

overlooked as small, black oribatid mites that

often occur in the same habitats. The skiff

beetles (Hydroscaphidae; 22 species) are named

for their boatlike shape, with pointed abdomen

and short elytra, superficially resembling some

Staphylinidae (rove beetles), but they are smaller

than staphylinids, and unlike them, adults and

larvae live on seepages or in mineral-rich springs

grazing on algae. Torridincolidae (60 species) are

ll members of the suborder Myxophaga

alive today are considered uncommon.

Their small size, usually less than 2 mm long,

also makes them difficult to find. One of the best

techniques is to locate suitable habitats such as hot

springs and seepages, and then search in detail for

the beetles. This approach, especially when applied

in areas where no Myxophaga have been reported

before, has led to the discovery of several new

species and genera in recent decades, and there

are probably many more waiting to be discovered.

There are four families. Sphaeriusidae, minute

bog beetles, includes 23 similar species of the genus

A