A Review of the Parasitic Flat Bark Beetles (Coleoptera: Passandridae) of the Indian Subcontinent

Abstract

The small family Passandridae (Cucujoidea) or parasitic flat bark beetles occurs predominantly in the tropics and subtropics with four genera restricted to the Old and another four genera to the New World and only one pantropical genus. The fauna of the Indian subcontinent consists of 13 species of three genera. Five of the six Ancistria species are endemic to the subcontinent. A checklist and an identification key are provided for the species reported from the subcontinent. While the taxonomy and phylogeny of the family are comparatively well-studied, little is known about the biology. Adult passandrids are predators and larvae parasitoids of larvae and pupae of other wood-inhabiting insects such as beetles and Hymenoptera.