Beetles Identification Guide

Woodroffe, G.E.; Coombs, C.W. 1961. A revision of the North American
Cryptophagus Herbst (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae). Misc. Publ. Entomol.
Soc. Am. 2:179—211.
CUCUJIDAE flat bark beetles
The family includes about 30 species in Canada. The adults are usually found
under the bark of dead trees, in logs, and in decaying plant material. Some species
apparently feed on fungi and decaying material, others prey on insects.
Six species of cucujids occurring in Canada are associated with stored products;
four of them are among the most serious pests.
Some genera in this family, for instance Ahasverus and Oryzaephilus, are considered
by a number of authors as belonging to a distinct family, the Silvanidae.
This approach has not been followed here.
Ahasverus advena (Waltl)
foreign grain beetle
cucujide des grains
Diagnosis: The species is readily recognized among the Coleoptera dealt with
here by its general habitus (Fig. 189), particularly the protuberant anterior angles
of the pronotum.
Sexual dimorphism: Males are externally similar to females.
Distribution: Throughout the temperate, subtropical, and tropical regions. In
Canada the species ranges from Nova Scotia west to British Columbia.
Economic importance: This secondary pest is often reported in Canada in granaries,
mills, and warehouses. Watters (1976) mentioned that it is the most common
fungus beetle associated with grain inthe Prairie Provinces. It occurs in a
wide range of stored foodstuffs, such as grain, dried fruit, cereals, nuts, particularly
products that are damp and moldy. Both adults and larvae feed on mold
and, provided the relative humidity is over 65%, can also damage stored products.
Woodroffe (1962) and Hill (1964) showed that a nutrient found in mold
and dried yeast is essential for the development of A. advena. The species can
grow in pure cultures of several seed-borne fungi.
Cryptolestes ferrugineus (Stephens)
rusty grain beetle
cucujide roux
Diagnosis: Adults of Cryptolestes occurring in Canada are easily recognized among
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