Phalacridae are small beetles belonging to the superfamily Cucujoidea, characterised by a strikingly smooth, strongly domed and glossy body. Black, brown and rust-brown species predominate, though some have a metallic sheen or, in contrast, lighter-coloured tips to their elytra. Due to their shape and compact body structure, they are often mistaken in the field by the untrained eye for small members of the ladybird or leaf beetle families. They are common inhabitants of meadows, hillsides and forest edges. Both the adults and larvae of many species feed on fungal spores (particularly smut and rust) on grasses and sedges, whilst another evolutionary branch of the family has specialised in the inflorescences of the Asteraceae, where the larvae develop inside the flower heads. The family is distributed almost worldwide and comprises approximately 640 described species. Fossil records date back to the Lower Cretaceous (Albian).

Number of Species:

Family Card

Olibrus aeneus

 

Olibrus affinis

 

Olibrus baudueri

 

Olibrus bicolor

 

Olibrus bimaculatus

 

Olibrus bisignatus

 

Olibrus corticalis

 

Olibrus flavicornis

 

Olibrus gerhardti

 

Olibrus liquidus

 

Olibrus millefolii

 

Olibrus norvegicus

 

Olibrus pygmaeus

 

Olibrus vako

 

Phalacrus caricis

 

Phalacrus championi

 

Phalacrus corruscus

 

Phalacrus fimetarius

 

Phalacrus grossus

 

Phalacrus substriatus

 

Stilbus atomarius

 

Stilbus oblongus

 

Stilbus pannonicus

 

Stilbus testaceus