Flat Grain Beetles-Silvanidae

Flat Grain Beetles- Silvanidae

The tiny, elongate, flattened beetles of the family Silvanidae are closely related to the Cucujidae. Like that family, some silvanids are found under the bark of trees, while others inhabit warehouses where food is stored, particularly grain and meal. They can be distinguished from the Cucujidae by their distinctly club-shaped antennae.

Oryzaephilus surinamensis, the saw-toothed grain beetle, is one of the most common members of this family. This beetle is usually found in stores of rice; in fact, the genus name is derived from the Latin word oryza, meaning rice.

The pronotum of 0. surinamensis is toothed or scalloped; it is for this morphological feature that the tiny coleopteran has been labeled the saw-toothed grain beetle.