Cupedidae


The Cupedidae are a small family of beetles, notable for the square pattern of "windows" on their elytra, which give the family their common name of reticulated beetles.
The family consists of about 30 species in 9 genera, with a worldwide distribution. Many more extinct species are known, dating as far back as the Triassic.
These beetles tend to be elongated with a parallel-sided body, ranging in length from 10 to 20 mm, with colors brownish, blackish, or gray. The larvae are wood-borers, typically living in fungus-infested wood, and sometimes found in wood construction. The larvae of this species eat the fungus-infested dead wood or tree roots while the adults are believed to subsist on pollen and plant sap.
Males of Priacma serrata are notable for being strongly attracted to common household bleach. This suggests that compounds in bleach may resemble attractive compounds found by the beetle in nature.
Fossil cupedid genera have been described from a number of amber deposits of varying ages including Burmese amber.