| Mezium | |
|---|---|
| Mezium americanum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Infraorder: | Bostrichiformia |
| Superfamily: | Bostrichoidea |
| Family: | Anobiidae |
| Subfamily: | Ptininae |
| Genus: |
Mezium Curtis, 1828 |
| Species | |
|
see text |
|
see text
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. They are most common in coastal areas, and in regions with a Mediterranean climate.
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.
Species include: