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.