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 
| |
| 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]
- Mezium affine – shiny spider beetle
- Mezium africanum
- Mezium americanum – 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
edit- ^ a b c d Borowski, J. (2009). The spider beetles of the continental Africa (Coleoptera: Ptinidae). Part I – Genus Mezium Curtis. Archived 2013-10-04 at the Wayback Machine Studies and Reports of District Museum Pargue-East, Taxonomical Series 5, 1-10.
- ^ Mezium. Fauna Europaea.
