Powderpost Beetles (Coleoptera: Bostrichidae: Lyctinae)

The Lyctinae are commonly known as powderpost beetles because of the propensity of the larvae to reduce sapwood, particularly of hardwoods, into a powdery frass. The Lyctinae are worldwide in distribution, each region having an indigenous fauna plus established introduced species. They predominantly are tropical and temperate in distribution. The classification of powderpost beetles is as follows:

• Order: Coleoptera

  • Suborder: Polyphaga

    • Superfamily: Bostrychoidea

      • Family: Bostrichidae

        • Subfamily: Lyctinae

The two tribes of the Lyctinae are the lyctini and trogoxylini. the major genera of lyctini are Lyctus, Acantholyctus, Lyctodon, Lycthoplites, Minthea, Lyctoxylon. The major genera of trogoxylini are Trogoxylon, Tristaria, Lyctopsis, Lyctoderma, Cephalotoma, Phyllyctus. There are ~70 species of powderpost beetles, of which 11 species occur or have become established in the united states. Lyctus planicollis LeC., Lyctus linearis (Goeze), and Trogoxylon parallelopipedum(Melsh.) are the...