Staphylinoidea

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Staphylinoidea
Devil's coach horse beetle, Ocypus olens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Staphyliniformia
Superfamily: Staphylinoidea
Latreille, 1802
Families

See text.

Staphylinoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is a very large and diverse group with worldwide distribution.

Characteristics

Most staphylinoids are middle-sized or small beetles with a pair of shortened elytra. The hind wings have no accessory posterior ridge (locking device), no wedge cell and apical cell. Abdominal 8th segment not entirely invaginated in the 7th. Head mostly without coronal suture.[1]

Systematics and evolution

Staphylinoidea contains the following subgroups:[2][3]

The unambiguous fossil record dates back to Triassic, and an early Mesozoic origin of the group is probable.[4]

References

  1. M.Hansen. Phylogeny and classification of the staphyliniform beetle families (Coleoptera). Biologiske Skrifter 48, Copenhagen, 1997
  2. Beutel, R. G. and Leschen, R.A.B. 2005. Phylogenetic analysis of Staphyliniformia (Coleoptera) based on characters of larvae and adults. Systematic Entomology
  3. J. F. Lawrence and A. F. Newton, Jr. 1995. Families and subfamilies of Coleoptera (with selected genera, notes, references and data on family-group names). pp. 779-1006 In: J. Pakaluk & S. A. Slipinski (Eds.): Biology, Phylogeny, and Classification of Coleoptera: Papers Celebrating the 80th Birthday of Roy A. Crowson. Museum i Instytut Zoologii PAN, Warszawa
  4. Grimaldi, D. and Engel, M.S. (2005). Evolution of the Insects. Cambridge University Press
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