Family: Silvanidae
Subfamily: Silvaninae
Length: 2.3-2.8 mm
Silvanus planatus lives under bark. Its life history is largely unknown, but most members of this family appear to feed on fungi, while a few may be predacious.
Silvanus planatus is similar to S. bidentatus, but the pronotum is shorter in proportion to its width, and the "tooth" at each front corner of the pronotum is less pronounced. The spaces between the rows of elytral punctures is very small indeed, about as wide as the punctures themselves.
Silvanus planatus is a Palearctic species that has been introduced into North America. It is found under the bark of trees, including Oak, Poplar, and Maple.
The beetle shown here was under bark on an early April day in Upshur County. To the right of the beetle is a Springtail.
