Eucinetidae

Eucinetus stewarti, photographed by S. E. Thorpe.

Belongs within: Elateriformia.

The Eucinetidae is a small family of beetles with a reduced prothorax and deflexed head. Where feeding habits of eucinetids are known, they feed on slime moulds or mushrooms.

Characters (from Lawrence & Britton 1991): Small, fusiform, with reduced prothorax, narrow deflexed head, very large oblique hind coxae with plates partly concealing femora, and short legs with mid and hind tibiae and tarsi bearing fringes of dark spines. Larvae more or less oblong and moderately lightly sclerotised with setiferous tubercles dorsally, and broad head narrowed anteriorly.

<==Eucinetidae [Eucinetoidea]
    |--Eucinetus stewarti (Broun 1881) BL04
    |--Proeuzkus BL04
    |--Euscaphurus saltator BL04
    |--Eucinetella BL04
    |--Bisaya BL04
    |--Jentozkus BL04
    |--Tohlezkus BL04
    |--Nycteus BL04
    `--Noteucinetus Bullians & Leschen 2004 BL04
         |--*N. nunni Bullians & Leschen 2004 BL04
         |--N. chilensis Bullians & Leschen 2004 BL04
         `--N. latipennis Bullians & Leschen 2004 BL04

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[BL04] Bullians, M. S., & R. A. B. Leschen. 2004. Noteucinetus new genus from New Zealand and Chile and notes on Eucinetus stewarti (Broun) (Coleoptera: Eucinetidae). New Zealand Entomologist 27: 29-38.

Lawrence, J. F., & E. B. Britton. 1991. Coleoptera. In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers, 2nd ed., vol. 2, pp. 543-683. Melbourned University Press.