Mezium

Mezium is a genus of beetles in the subfamily Ptininae, the spider beetles. It is distributed throughout most of the world. There are two centers of distribution: an area extending from the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco, including the Canary Islands; and an area extending through central and southern Africa. Several species are recently described African endemics.[1] They are most common in coastal areas, and in regions with a Mediterranean climate.[1]

Mezium
Mezium americanum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Ptinidae
Subfamily: Ptininae
Tribe: Meziini
Genus: Mezium
Curtis, 1828
Species

See text

Their most common natural habitat type is caves, where they feed on animal feces, especially bat guano. They are adaptable to human-made structures such as barns and chicken coops.[1]

Species include:[1][2]

  • Mezium affine โ€“ shiny spider beetle
  • Mezium africanum
  • Mezium americanum โ€“ American spider beetle, black spider beetle
  • Mezium andreaei
  • Mezium giganteum
  • Mezium glabrum
  • Mezium gracilicorne
  • Mezium horridum
  • Mezium namibiensis
  • Mezium pseudafricanum
  • Mezium pseudamericanum
  • Mezium setosum
  • Mezium sulcatum

References

  1. Borowski, J. (2009). The spider beetles of the continental Africa (Coleoptera: Ptinidae). Part I โ€“ Genus Mezium Curtis. Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Studies and Reports of District Museum Pargue-East, Taxonomical Series 5, 1-10.
  2. Mezium. Fauna Europaea.
  • Media related to Mezium at Wikimedia Commons
  • Data related to Mezium at Wikispecies


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