Ship-timber Beetles-Lymexylidae
Ship-timber Beetles- Lymexylidae
The males and females of the family Lymexylidae differ markedly in the size,
color, and structure of their antennae and mouthparts. The maxillary palpi (the
segmented appendages located just behind the mandibles) of the females are
typical of most Coleoptera. In the males, however, the last segment of the
maxillary palpi is greatly enlarged and covered with long bristles. It is
believed that the enlarged palpi of the males function as olfactory
organs-intricate sniffers by which the males track down the females.
Lymexylon. The long, thin, yellowish-red beetles of the family Lymexylidae were
at one time feared by European shipbuilders. Lymexylon no-vale, the species
commonly found in shipyards, attacks stacks of oak timbers waiting to be used as
ribs and sheath ing for sailing vessels. The long, hooded, cylindrical larvae of
L. navale bore into timber, leaving a lacework of tunnels, some of which are up
to 10 feet in length.
Hylocoetus. This genus contains the North American members of the Lymexylidae.
Commonly called timberworms, the larvae of Hylocoetus are sometimes regarded as
serious pests. But the population of this genus is small and the damage they are
able to do is therefore slight.
INDEX : Insects January 11, 2016 02:25:46 PM |