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Prionoceridae Lacordaire 1857
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SUMMARY
Description: Adults soft-bodied (weakly sclerotised); of medium size (5-20 mm). Diurnal species often with bright colours; noctunal species testaceous or dark-coloured. Head usually prolongate; labrum well developed; antennae filiform or serrate, 11-segmented. Eyes large to very large, kidney-shaped, often occupying large parts of the head; larger in males than in females. Scutellum not concealed. Elytra soft, without strong sculpture, with fine ground vestiture and three rows of long, stiff setae. Wing present. Tarsal formula 5-5-5; tarsomeres not lobed. Male protarsomeres 1-3 modified, with a black, heavily sclerotized, comb-like, ventral appendage. Claws usually simple, sometimes with thickened base or membraneous appendage, never toothed or pectinate. Abdomen with six ventrites. Last ventrite emarginate or incised in males, simple in females. Male genitalia of cleroid type, tegmen produced into a pair of long paramera.
Larvae similar to other cleroid families, but more heavily sclerotised, abdomen with a pair of dorsal and lateral sclerites. Urogomphi large. With small tubular structures (hypothesised to be eversible glands) on the sides of the abdomen, near the spiracles, and at the base of the urogomphi.
Diagnosis: Similar in habitus to Oedemeridae and Cantharidae. Easily distinguished from Oedemeridae by the 5-segmented hind tarsi. Distinguished from Cantharidae by simple (not bilobed) fourth tarsomere, well-developed, clearly visible labrum and prolongate head. Distinguished from related families of the melyrid clade by slender habitus, relatively long legs and antennae and protarsal combs in males (although some malachiid males show similar tarsal modifications).
Life history: Larval biology poorly known, found under bark and on foliage during rainy weather, reported to be predators, but also found feeding on insect carcasses. Adults relatively short-lived and seasonal; diurnal species feed on pollen of various shrubs and trees, usually in forest habitats, occasionally found feeding on savannah grass seeds (African species); biology of nocturnal species unknown, found attracted to light traps or hiding in foliage of forest understorey shrubs, always sitting on the underside of leaves.
Species richness: Three genera and 158 species described worldwide. Two genera and eight species reported from Borneo. At least ten additional, apparently undescribed species from Borneo found in museum collections.