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The Cicada Parasite Beetles

Tags: beetle | cicada | insect

Parasitic beetles are very rare among Coleoptera. For example, meloids and rhipiphorids search for eggs of grasshoppers or social bees as hosts. However, hosts of rhipicerids are nymphs of cicadas. Females deposit numerous eggs at tree barks. Hatched larvae crawl down into soil and search for hosts when rains fall. Only one species of this family was described originally. Now a new species, a new subspecies, and a newly recorded species are found from Taiwan. The increasing species number of rhipicerids may reflect diversity of cicadas in Taiwan.

 

Sandalus taiwanicus Lee et al. (from left: female, a mating couple.)

 

Digital Insect of Taiwan Agriculture Research Institute