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Telephone-pole beetle

Insects

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)
Terrestrial 1
Relationship to People
Agricultural or Structural Pest 1
Scientific Name
Micromalthus debilis 1
Conservation Status
Extinct 1
Connections

Child Taxon Of

Coleoptera, Taxa
Source Wikidata: Telephone-pole beetle
In the Other Atlases
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 Source
Wikidata: Telephone-pole beetle
Child Taxon Of: Coleoptera, Wikidata parent-taxon (P171) chainView the Source
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