Family Passalidae (Bess beetles)Passalidae Species Discovered in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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Note:
Taxa on this list are only those contained
in the ATBI database,
and do not neccessarily include
all Park taxa from historic park reports, literature,
or other sources that have
not yet been entered
in the Biodiversity Database.
In Case You Didn't Know ...This family of beetles are inhabitants of rotten logs, tunneling to create loose colonies of multiple life stages, with adults and larvae living together. Adults actually chew up wood to feed the young larvae.
These are large black beetles with horned heads and large mandibles protruding forward.
Parasites: several species of armored mites live on bess beetles.
Taxon References for Passalidae
Book: Beetles of Eastern North America, Arthur V. Evans
