Agyrtidae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Staphyliniformia
Superfamilia: Staphylinoidea

Familia: Agyrtidae
Subfamiliae (3): Agyrtinae – Necrophilinae – Pterolomatinae
Overview of genera (12)

Agyrtes – Apteroloma – Ecanus – Ipelates – Lyrosoma – Necrophilus – Pteroloma – Zeanecrophilus – †Mesecanus – ?†Miosilpha – ?†Ponomarenkia – ?†Sinosilphia
Name

Agyrtidae Thomson, 1859
References

Newton, A.F. 1997: Review of Agyrtidae (Coleoptera), with a new genus and species from New Zealand. Annales zoologici, 47(1/2): 111–156.
Růžička, J.; Pütz, A. 2009: New species and new records of Agyrtidae (Coleoptera) from China, India, Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam. Acta Entomologica Musei Nationalis Pragae, 49: 631–650. PDF
Catalogue of Palearctic Coleoptera. Vol. 2 ed. I. Lobl, & A. Smetana, Apollo Books, Stenstrup, Denmark, 2004
ISBN 8788757749, p.131

Links

Tree of Life Web Project. 2007. Agyrtidae Thomson 1859. Primitive carrion beetles. Version 10 May 2007 (under construction). http://tolweb.org/Agyrtidae/9617/2007.05.10 in The Tree of Life Web Project, http://tolweb.org/
Agyrtidae in SYNOPSIS OF THE DESCRIBED COLEOPTERA OF THE WORLD
Atlas of the family Agyrtidae of Russia

Vernacular names
Deutsch: Scheinaaskäfer
English: primitive carrion beetles, burying beetles
norsk: Sumpbiller
русский: Агиртиды

Agyrtidae, or primitive carrion beetles, are a small family of polyphagan beetles They are found in mostly temperate areas of the northern hemisphere and in New Zealand. They feed on decaying organic material.

Characteristics

Agyrtidae are small or middle-sized beetles (length 4–14 mm). They have usually oval body, but the Pterolomatinae are superficially similar to ground beetles. Abdomen is with five visible ventral sclerites, procoxal cavities internally open. Hindwings have anal lobe but no radial hinge.[1]
Systematics

Currently, about 60 species are known. The family is divided into three subfamilies:

Necrophilinae
Zeanecrophilus
Necrophilus
Agyrtinae
Agyrtes
Ecanus
Ipelates
Lyrosoma
Pterolomatinae
Apteroloma
Pteroloma

Until recently, species of this family had been included in the family Silphidae (as tribes Lyrosomatini and Agyrtini), but are now considered more closely related to the family Leiodidae.[2]
References

M.Hansen. Phylogeny and classification of the staphyliniform beetle families (Coleoptera). Biologiske Skrifter 48, Copenhagen, 1997
Lawrence,J.F. & Newton,A.F., Jr. Evolution and classification of beetles. Annu. Rev. of Ecology and Systematics 13, 1982.