Aderidae

Megaxenus termitophilus, from Hangay & Zborowski (2010).

Belongs within: Tenebrionoidea.

The Aderidae are a group of small, often colourful beetles whose larvae have been collected in rotting wood, under bark or in leaf litter (Lawrence & Britton 1991).

Characters (from Lawrence & Britton 1991): Elongate, convex to somewhat flattened beetles; elytra commonly bicoloured, vestiture consisting of erect and/or decumbent hairs, the latter sometimes forming a pattern; head abruptly constricted behind eyes; eyes relatively large, coarsely faceted; antennae 11-segmented, filiform or flabellate; maxillary palps securiform; pronotum narrow, lacking lateral carinae; fore coxae projecting, trochantins concealed, fore coxal cavities externally and internally open; mid coxal cavities narrowly separated, laterally open; tarsal formula 5-5-4, antepenultimate tarsal segment lobed, penultimate one reduced; abdomen with five ventrites, the first two ventrites strongly connate or solidly fused (in which case abdomen appears to have four ventrites); hind femora of males sometimes bearing setose secretory organs. Larvae almost always narrowly elongate, parallel sided, somewhat flattened and lightly sclerotised, except for tips of urogomphi. Mandible almost always with hyaline lobe at base of mola, median endocarina on head and armature on S9 absent.

Aderidae [Circaeidae, Euglenidae, Hylophilidae, Xylophilidae]
    |--Syzeton abnormis LB91
    |--Pseudananca ruficollis LB91
    |--Syzetoninus LB91
    |--Syzetonellus LB91
    |--Xylophilus E02 [incl. Aderus LB91]
    |    |--X. brouni Pic 1901 E02
    |    `--X. undatus Gemming 1870 [incl. X. fasciatus Bohem. 1858] M86
    `--Megaxenus B14
         |--M. bioculatus B14
         |--M. papuensis B14
         `--M. termitophilus Lawrence 1990 B14

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B14] Bouchard, P. (ed.) 2014. The Book of Beetles: A lifesize guide to six hundred of nature's gems. Ivy Press: Lewes (United Kingdom).

[E02] Emberson, R. M. 2002. The beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of the Chatham Islands: additions and corrections. New Zealand Entomologist 25: 69–77.

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

[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.