Eucnemidae Temporal range: Tithonian–Recent PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N
Dirrhagofarsus lewisi
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Superfamily:	Elateroidea
Family:	Eucnemidae Eschscholtz, 1829
Genera
See text
Synonyms
Phylloceridae Reitter, 1905 Melasidae Leach, 1817 Perothopidae Lacordaire, 1857

Eucnemidae, or false click beetles, are a family of elateroid beetles including about 1700 species distributed worldwide.

Description

Closely related to the family Elateridae, specimens of Eucnemidae can reach a length of 2–30 mm (0.079–1.181 in). Bodies are slightly flattened and convex. The upper surfaces of the body usually has hairs, setae or scales.

Ecology

The larvae are typically legless, and generally develop feeding on the fluids of rotting wood, likely vomiting digestive enzymes into the wood to break apart the fungal hyphae, moving using their shovel shaped heads to force apart the wood. Adults, which are typically found on broken surfaces of trunks and stumps, have a short lifespan and it is unclear whether they feed, though they are capable fliers, and like some other elateroids are capable of clicking.^[1]

Taxonomy

Subfamilies

• Anischiinae Fleutiaux, 1936
• Eucneminae Eschscholtz, 1829
• Macraulacinae Fleutiaux, 1922
• Melasinae Leach, 1817
• Palaeoxeninae Muona, 1993
• Perothopinae Lacordaire, 1857 – perothopid beetles
• Phlegoninae Muona, 1993
• Phyllocerinae Reitter, 1905
• Pseudomeninae Muona, 1993

Fossil genera

• †Beattieellus Oberprieler et al. 2016 – Talbragar Fossil Bed, Australia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian)
• †Cenomana Otto, 2019 – Burmese amber, Myanmar, Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian)
• †Lissantauga Poinar 2013 – Dominican amber, Miocene
• †Muonabuntor Li, Tihelka & Cai, 2020^[2] – Burmese amber, Myanmar, Cenomanian