Atractocerus

Howarth, Brigitte & Gillett, Michael, 2009, Increasing knowledge of the entomological fauna of the United Arab Emirates and the role of private collections, ZooKeys 31 (3), pp. 119-132 : 128

Atractocerus sp. ( Coleoptera : Lymexylidae )

Beetles belonging to the small family Lymexylidae develop in the wood of fallen or damaged trees, feeding on fungus that grows in tunnels bored by the larvae and is an unusual family to find in the UAE. A single specimen attributable to the genus Atractocerus was taken at a mercury vapour light trap by BH on the 19th September 2008 in the Fujairah emirate. It is a soft-bodied beetle with only rudimentary wingcases or elytra ( Fig. 5 ) making it hardly recognisable as a beetle. It too is a new record for the UAE.

Figures

Figure 5. A live example of a very strange beetle belonging to the genus Atractocerus (Coleoptera: Lymexylidae). This insect was photographed and collected at a MVT by B. Howarth in September 2008 in the Emirate of Fujairah and represents a new species and genus record for the UAE (photograph by B. Howarth).