Eulichadidae is a family of beetles belonging to Elateriformia. There are two extant genera, Eulichas with several dozen species native to the Indomalayan realm of Asia, and Stenocolus, with a single species native to Western North America. The larvae are aquatic, with the larvae of Eulichas being found in sandy sediments of clean forest streams, while the larvae of Stenocolus are found under rocks and in leaf packs in low elevation streams and rivers. They are herbivious/saprophagous with larval specimens of Eulichas having been found with wood particles in their stomachs, while the larvae of Stenocolus are known to feed on decaying roots and detritus. The adults are terrestrial, with specimens of Eulichas typically found using light, while specimens of Stenocolus are typically found in riparian vegetation, and are not attracted to light.[1] Potential extinct genera have been described from Mesozoic rocks, but the placement of several of these taxa in the family is disputed.[2][3]
Genera
These two extant genera belong to the family Eulichadidae:
^Ivie, Michael A.. "Eulichadidae Crowson, 1973: Coleoptera, Beetles". Handbook of Zoology Online, edited by Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016.
^Kirejtshuk A. G. (2013) Taxonomic names, in Current knowledge of Coleoptera (Insecta) from the Lower Cretaceous Lebanese amber and taxonomical notes for some Mesozoic groups, Terrestrial Arthropod Reviews 6, 103-134
Shepard, William D. (2002). Arnett, Ross H.; Thomas, Michael C.; Skelley, Paul E.; Frank, J. Howard (eds.). Family 51. Eulichadidae Crowson 1973. American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea. CRC Press. pp. 142–143. ISBN0-8493-0954-9.
