Revision of Indian Flat Bark Beetles Cucujidae and Laemophloeidae: Coleoptera: Insecta

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Language: English

This book is the first comprehensive account of lndian Cucujidae and Laemophloeidae, commonly known as flat bark beetles and lined llat bark beetles, respectively, with their systeinatic treatment based partly on collections made during different explorations conducted by different survey parties of the Zoological Survey of lndia, Kolkata, including the author, partly on the materials received on loan from other institutes and museums of India and abroad, and partly on the study of type materials deposited in different museums abroad. As a result of this study, the total number of six species of the two genera viz. Cucujus F., and Pediacus Shuckard of the family Cucujidae, and the total number of Laemophloeid species has increased from thirty four species under eleven genera recorded earlier, to seven species under two genera for the family Cucujidae and fifty-seven species under fourteen genera for the family Laemophloeidae. Of these, twenty-two species are new to science and two genera viz. Planolestes Lefkovitch and Notalaemus Lefkovitch are recorded for the first time from India with a new genus (Pseudolaemus gen. nov.) along with 10 species under 6 genera of the family Laemophloeidae as new combinations. All the genera and species involved in this work are described on the basis of newly discovered more useful characters. The present systematic position, affinities along with synonymies of each genus and species are discussed. Besides the distribution of each genus/species and their habitats have been dealt with. Dichotornous keys to the identification of the genera and species are also provided.

lt is hoped that this comprehensive revisionary work will enrich our current knowledge of the taxonomy of the family Cucujidae and Laemophloeidae, some of which, particularly belonging to the genus Cryptolestes Ganglbauer (Laemophloeidae) are economically important as pests of stored grain and their products.

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