The telephone-pole beetle, Micromalthus debilis, is native to the eastern United States and is the only known living representative of the otherwise extinct beetle family Micromalthidae. Its common name comes from its larvae, which live in decaying wood and can become pests of wooden structures. The species is notable for being obligately paedogenetic, reproducing asexually through larvae, with rare sterile adults, sometimes called ghost adults, occasionally developing. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Classification
System (Realm) Relationship to PeopleAgricultural or Structural Pest 1 Scientific Name Conservation Status Connections
Child Taxon Of
Source Wikidata: Telephone-pole beetle
In the Other Atlases
- Also in Geography Atlas: Africa, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Australia, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Austria, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Canada, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Cuba, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Italy, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: Japan, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: North America, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: South Africa, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: South America, found in there.
- Also in Geography Atlas: United States, found in there.
Sources
1. Telephone-pole beetle (Wikipedia)
Conservation status (IUCN Red List category stated in entity description)
tern United States and is the only known living representative of the otherwise extinct beetle family Micromalthidae. Its common name comes from its larvae, which live
- Wikidata Q132978 (P225 taxon name)
Lead section
Larvae of the beetle live in decaying wood and can be pests to wooden structures, lending them their common name, the 'telephone-pole beetle.' The larvae of Micromalthus debilis start as tiny white creatures with well-developed legs, resembling carabid larvae.
lead paragraph (habitat realm), EntityId 391329
Larvae bore into moist, decaying chestnut and oak logs, creating galleries as they consume wood fibers.
View the SourceWikidata: Telephone-pole beetle
Child Taxon Of: Coleoptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source Reader Challenges (0)
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