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<silphid.htm> [For
educational purposes only] Glossary <Principal Natural Enemy Groups > <Citations> <Home> |
COLEOPTERA, Silphidae -- <Images>
& <Juveniles> These beetles are known as
"carrion beetles", being usually associated with decaying animal
matter. There is a considerable range
in food preferences of both the adult beetles and larvae. Several species associated with ants,
others develop in decaying fungi, many feed on a combination of animal matter
and insect larvae, and a small number of species seem to be obligate
predators of other insects.
Occasionally a species is found that subsists almost entirely on
snails (Clausen 1940/62). Among
silphids having a mixed diet, the insect prey consists most of dipterous
larvae, mainly those of blowflies that are present in decaying flesh. The beetles will attack many other insects
that frequent carcasses, however. Adults of Xylodrepa quadripunctata
L. in Europe are arboreal and seemingly restricted to a predatory role, their
favored food being mostly smooth-skinned caterpillars, sawfly larvae, aphids
and other insects inhabiting foliage.
However, the larvae feed only on the ground. An effort was made to introduce X. quadripunctata into
the United States for biological control of gypsy moth (Clausen 1940/62). References: Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>, [Additional
references may be found at: MELVYL
Library ] |