Definition of xylophagous in English:
xylophagous
adjective zʌɪˈlɒfəɡəszīˈläfəɡəs
Zoology (especially of an insect larva or mollusc) feeding on or boring into wood.
Example sentencesExamples
- The aim of the project was to produce publications of reference on the taxonomy, biology and ecology of parasitoids attacking conifer-feeding xylophagous insects in Europe.
- Since oribatid mites are often the most abundant part of the xylophagous fauna, a decrease in their abundance would have drastic implications for the decomposition rates of wood in an ecosystem.
- Although we have presented several plausible hypotheses to explain this absence, it is clear that further Mesozoic fossil evidence is needed to clarify some of the early events in the evolution of xylophagous insects.
- Members of the genus Cryptocercus (Dictyoptera: Cryptocercidae) are subsocial, xylophagous cockroaches that inhabit damp, decaying logs of temperate forests in the Palearctic and Nearctic.
- Insects with xylophagous larvae prefer dry wood: old sculptures, ancient furniture, frames and painting panels.