![]() ![]() ![]() Buprestidae: Volkovitsh and Bílý 2015: p. Eucnemidae: Böving and Craighead 1931: plate 81M Peterson 1957: Fig. 138), better known as roundheaded wood borers (cf. Some of the larvae are also able to bore into solid wood, and some of these larvae (Muona and Teräväinen 2020) resemble at least distantly those of the more commonly known jewel beetles (Németh and Otto 2016: p. Many of them apparently feed on fungi within decaying wood. Most larvae of the coleopteran group Eucnemidae, false click beetles, are associated with wood (Muona 2010). Beetle larvae show a wide variation of morphologies and with this also ecological functions (Böving and Craighead 1931 Peterson 1957 Klausnitzer 1978). Indeed, beetle adults tend to be easily identified as beetles due to their rather stereotypic appearance, while beetle larvae are not as easily identified as such. This effect should also have positively influenced the diversification of beetles. A key feature of the group Holometabola, of which Coleoptera is an ingroup, is the ecological differentiation between the early post-embryonic stages, also known as larvae (see discussion in Haug 2020) and the usually very different-appearing adult (Truman and Riddiford 2019). 2016 for a similar statement on Insecta), beetles are indeed dominating terrestrial ecosystems concerning species numbers, number of individuals, and ultimately biomass. Although this statement is logically not fully correct (see discussion in Haug et al. The fossil adds to the growing number of wood-associated holometabolan larvae in Kachin amber and with this contributes to a more complete view on this now extinct community and ecosystem.Ĭoleoptera (beetles) has been interpreted as the most successful group of animals (e.g. The fossil larva combines features of different modern lineages of Eucnemidae in a unique morphology that is not known in the modern fauna. Here we report the first larva of a false click beetle preserved in amber. ![]() Larvae of the group Eucnemidae, false click beetles, which are also wood-associated, have so far been only known from sedimentary rock deposits. Only recently, solid-wood-boring larvae and those living in decaying wood have been reported from this amber deposit. Yet, wood-associated beetle larvae seem so far rare in Kachin amber despite its otherwise rich record of many different ecotypes. ![]() We can assume that this is not only the case in modern ecosystems, but was similar in the past. With such a lifestyle, beetle larvae are important for carbon cycling. Larvae of many modern lineages of beetles are associated with wood, breaking it into smaller pieces or directly digesting it. Their powerful hind legs allow them to jump onto new hosts and travel throughout homes.We report a new and unusual beetle larva preserved in ca. The pupa can lay dormant for a few days or as long as several weeks, often tricking homeowners into thinking their flea infestation is under control.Īdult - Adults are about the same size as flea larvae, reddish brown to black in color, and oval-shaped. Pupa –When ready to go into the pupal stage, a flea larva spins a silk-like cocoon, inside which it develops into the pupa. They feed primarily on flea dirt, which is the blood-filled feces that adult fleas excrete after taking a blood meal. Larva - When they hatch from eggs, flea larvae look like tiny worms about 2-5 mm long with a whitish body and pale colored hairs. After an adult lays its eggs in an animals' fur, they often fall out onto the carpet, pet’s bedding in homes or onto the soil when eggs are located outside. Recognizing the pests in each of these stages is vital for control:Įgg - About the size of a grain of sand and whitish in color, flea eggs are very hard to see. The life cycle of fleas involves four distinct life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Fleas are parasitic, blood-feeding insects that often enter homes in the fur of household pets. ![]()
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