Ulodidae

Syrphetodes decoratus, photographed by S. E. Thorpe.

Belongs within: Tenebrionoidea.

The Ulodidae is a Gondwanan family of beetles, members of which were formerly classified with the Tenebrionidae or Zopheridae. Members of the subfamily Ulodinae are known to feed on basidiomycete fruiting bodies whereas Meryx are found under bark of fungus-infested logs (Lawrence & Britton 1991).

Synapomorphies (from Leschen & Rhode 2002): Antennal insertions visible in dorsal view, eyes entire or not anteriorly emarginate, procoxal cavities closed, lateral mesocoxal cavities open with exposed mesotrochantins, aedeagus with a dorsal tegmen.

Ulodidae
    |--Syrphetodes decoratus MW15, LR02
    `--+--Sirrhas MW15
       `--Meryx [Merycidae, Merycinae] MW15
            |--M. aequalis B70
            `--M. rugosa [=Colydium (Meryx) rugosum] G20

Ulodinae incertae sedis:
  Trachyderas LR02
  Trachyderastes LR02
  Arthopus LR02
  Brouniphylax LR02
  Exohadrus LR02
  Waitomophylax Leschen & Rhode 2004 [=Archaeophylax Leschen & Rhode 2002 non Kimmins 1953] LR04
    `--*W. worthyi (Leschen & Rhode 2002) [=*Archaeophylax worthyi] LR04
  Ulodinae LB91
    |--Phaennis LB91
    |--Notocerastes LB91
    |--Ulodes LR02
    |    |--U. variicornis Hope 1842 M86
    |    `--U. verrucosus Erichs. 1842 M86
    |--Ganyme LB91
    |    |--G. howitti Pascoe 1869 M86
    |    `--G. sapphira Newm. 1842 M86
    `--Dipsaconia LB91
         |--D. australis Hope 1845 M86
         |--D. bakewelli Pascoe 1860 M86
         `--D. pyritosa Pascoe 1850 M86

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B70] Britton, E. B. 1970. Coleoptera (beetles). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers pp. 495–621. Melbourne University Press.

[G20] Goldfuss, G. A. 1820. Handbuch der Naturgeschichte vol. 3. Handbuch der Zoologie pt 1. Johann Leonhard Schrag: Nürnberg.

[LB91] Lawrence, J. F., & E. B. Britton. 1991. Coleoptera (beetles). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 543–683. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[LR02] Leschen, R. A. B., & B. E. Rhode. 2002. A new genus and species of large extinct Ulodidae (Coleoptera) from New Zealand. New Zealand Entomologist 25: 57–64.

[LR04] Leschen, R. A. B., & B. E. Rhode. 2004. A replacement name for Archaeophylax Leschen and Rhode (Coleoptera: Ulodidae). New Zealand Entomologist 27: 125.

[M86] Masters, G. 1886. Catalogue of the described Coleoptera of Australia. Part IV. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales, series 2, 1 (2): 259–380.

[MW15] McKenna, D. D., A. L. Wild, K. Kanda, C. L. Bellamy, R. G. Beutel, M. S. Caterino, C. W. Farnum, D. C. Hawks, M. A. Ivie, M. L. Jameson, R. A. B. Leschen, A. E. Marvaldi, J. V. McHugh, A. F. Newton, J. A. Robertson, M. K. Thayer, M. F. Whiting, J. F. Lawrence, A. Ślipiński, D. R. Maddison & B. D. Farrell. 2015. The beetle tree of life reveals that Coleoptera survived end-Permian mass extinction to diversify during the Cretaceous terrestrial revolution. Systematic Entomology 40 (4): 835–880.

Last updated: 12 November 2020.