Wedge-shaped beetles
Scientific name: Ripiphoridae
Wedge-shaped beetles
Scientific name: Ripiphoridae
Description
The Ripiphoridae are a peculiar group of beetles often referred to as wedge-shaped beetles. Despite their unassuming appearance, they lead remarkable lives; primarily, they are parasitic during their larval stage, targeting other insects. Often misconceived as harmless, members of Ripiphoridae actually engage in a form of aggressive mimicry, using pheromones to integrate into the bee colonies they parasitize. This intriguing survival strategy includes their larvae initially acting as predators before turning parasitic.