Small False Click Beetles

Throscidae is a family of elateroid beetles found worldwide (except New Zealand) with around 150 species in 5 extant genera. The larvae are soil-dwelling, siphoning fluid from mycorrhizae attached to trees. The adults are short-lived, with the adult males being noted for a complex mating dance. Like some other elateroids, they are capable of clicking.^[1]

Genera

• Aulonothroscus Horn, 1890
• Cryptophthalma Cobos, 1982
• Pactopus LeConte, 1868
• Potergus Bonvouloir, 1871
• Trixagus Kugelann, 1794

Fossil genera

• †Jaira Muona 1993 Baltic amber, Eocene
• †Potergosoma Kovalev and Kirejtshuk 2013 Lebanese amber, Early Cretaceous (Barremian)
• †Rhomboaspis Kovalev and Kirejtshuk 2013 Lebanese amber, Barremian
• †Trixagosoma Li et al., 2020 Burmese amber, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
• †Tyrannothroscus Muona 2019 Baltic amber, Eocene
• †Captopus Li, Huang & Cai, 2021^[2] Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
• †Electrothroscus Li, Huang & Cai, 2021^[2] Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian
• †Pseudopactopus Li, Huang & Cai, 2021^[2] Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian

References