Center for Systematic Entomology, Gainesville, Florida
Date of this Version
3-26-2021
Citation
Smith TR. 2021. A catalogue of the Cybocephalidae (Coleoptera: Cucujoidea) of the world. Insecta Mundi 0858: 1–16.
Abstract
A world catalogue and bibliography of the family Cybocephalidae (Coleoptera) is presented. The catalogue contains 207 species within 16 genera. Each taxon is accompanied by a complete taxonomic history, including a full annotated synonymy with original references cited. The reversal of the recent synonymy of Cybocephalus brevis Grouvelle over Cybocephalus minimus Grouvelle is proposed. Cybocephalus aeneus Reiche is removed from synonymy with Cybocephalus micans Reitter and considered incertae sedis.
The Cybocephalidae are a family of small predatory beetles found throughout the world (Smith 2020). While cybocephalids are typically extremely convex, shiny and dark in coloration, the defining characteristic of this group is their ability to contract their bodies to a greater or lesser degree, with many species capable of conglobulation (Fig. 1–10). These beetles are rarely collected due to their small size and the infrequency with which they are collected using traditional trapping techniques (i.e. MV/UV-light, malaise, pitfall, etc.). In most cases, cybocephalids are collected by sweeping, beating or simply gleaned by hand (Smith and Cave 2006). Edmund Reitter (1874) published the first catalogue, or at least a comprehensive list, of the cybocephalids of the world. At that time, there were 25 species known to science confined to one genus. At the time of this publication, there are a total of 207 species in 16 genera in the family worldwide, with 201 extant species in 15 genera and six extinct species in two genera.
Comments
Copyright held by the author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License,