| Melanophila | |
|---|---|
| |
| Melanophila consputa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Clade: | Pancrustacea |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Elateriformia |
| Family: | Buprestidae |
| Tribe: | Melanophilini |
| Genus: | Melanophila Eschscholtz, 1829 |
Melanophila is a genus of buprestid beetles commonly known as fire beetles. They have extraordinary sensitivity to infrared radiation (heat), using a specialized sensor organ near their legs.1 They seek out fires in order to mate and lay eggs in freshly burned wood.2
Species
The genus Melanophila consists of the following species:3
- Melanophila acuminata (DeGeer, 1774)
- Melanophila atra Gory, 1841
- Melanophila atropurpurea (Say, 1823)
- Melanophila caudata (Laporte & Gory, 1837)
- Melanophila consputa LeConte, 1857
- Melanophila cockerellae Wickham, 1912
- Melanophila coriacea Kerremans, 1894
- Melanophila cuspidata (Klug, 1829)
- Melanophila gestroi Obenberger, 1923
- Melanophila handlirschi Wickham, 1912
- Melanophila heeri Wickham, 1914
- Melanophila ignicola Champion, 1918
- Melanophila notata (Laporte & Gory, 1837)
- Melanophila obscurata Lewis, 1893
- Melanophila occidentalis Obenberger, 1928
- Melanophila unicolor Gory, 1841
References
References
- Schmitz, H; Bousack, H (2012). "Modelling a Historic Oil-Tank Fire Allows an Estimation of the Sensitivity of the Infrared Receptors in Pyrophilous Melanophila Beetles". PLOS One. 7 (5) e37627. Bibcode:2012PLoSO...737627S. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0037627. PMC 3357417. PMID 22629433.
- Jones, Benji (2023-07-28). "This beetle's sex is on fire. Literally". Vox. Retrieved 2023-07-30.
- Bellamy, C. L. (2013). "Genus Melanophila". A Checklist of World Buprestoidea. Retrieved 7 Sep 2021.