Aradidae
Encyclopedia
Aradidae bear the appropriate common name, flat bugs, in reference to their (usually) extremely flattened body. With few exceptions, the often cryptic insects are of no economic importance. Common temperate genera
include Aradus
, Mezira, Neuroctenus, and Aneurus.
Temperate species commonly live under the bark of dead trees (again, with a few exceptions), while many tropical species are found in leaflitter or on fallen twigs or branches.
Most members of the family are thought to be mycophagous, feeding on fungi, but in truth, little is known of the feeding habits of most species, though they can be attracted to the pheromone
s of bark beetle
s. Many of the tropical taxa are apterous (lacking wings as adults). Flat bugs are distant relatives of the more familiar stink bugs.
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
include Aradus
Aradus
Aradus is a large genus of flat bugs, with nearly 200 described species, the majority in the Holarctic. Temperate species commonly live under the bark of dead trees....
, Mezira, Neuroctenus, and Aneurus.
Temperate species commonly live under the bark of dead trees (again, with a few exceptions), while many tropical species are found in leaflitter or on fallen twigs or branches.
Most members of the family are thought to be mycophagous, feeding on fungi, but in truth, little is known of the feeding habits of most species, though they can be attracted to the pheromone
Pheromone
A pheromone is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting outside the body of the secreting individual to impact the behavior of the receiving individual...
s of bark beetle
Bark beetle
A bark beetle is one of approximately 220 genera with 6,000 species of beetles in the subfamily Scolytinae. Traditionally, this was considered a distinct family Scolytidae, but now it is understood that bark beetles are in fact very specialized members of the "true weevil" family...
s. Many of the tropical taxa are apterous (lacking wings as adults). Flat bugs are distant relatives of the more familiar stink bugs.