Alexiidae

Common name:

Number of species:

1

Size Range:

1-2mm

Tarsi:

4-4-4.

Images:

  • Sphaerosoma pilosum

Description: 

The sole British representative of this family, Sphaerosoma piliferum (Müller) is a tiny species, around 1.3mm long.  Red-brown in colour, with yellow pubescence, it is largely hemispherical in shape and rather similar in appearance to the smaller ladybird species, though it can be distinguished by the longer, clubbed antennae. It is a fungivore and is often found in leaf litter or decaying wood.