The beetles are a useful group for studies on trophic structure of communities, mainly in forested areas. These kind of studies are based on food habits of species groups. The different terms applied to nomminated these groups (trophic category, ecologic group, trophic group, guild, trophic guild) are discussed. The term trophic group, a natural unity, is proposed to form a group of species with the same food habits, not considering the trophic level. The guild, an artificial unity, is recognized as an important tool to group organisms group that use the same resources as defined by the investigator (Hawkins & MacMaiion, 1989; Simberloff & Dayan 1991; Wilson 1999). The known alimentary habits of Coleoptera are classified in five trophic groups - herbivores, algivores, fungívores, detrivores and carnivores. Within each trophic group, subgroups are recognized. The subgroup are in a lower hierarchic level and are defined by morphological (herbivores), taxonomic (fungivores) atributes of the food, by the food origin (detrivores) and by the way that the food is obtained (carnivores). A food resource diagram showing connections among the trophic groups, based on consumer-consumed (predator-prey) relations, is presented.
Coleoptera; trophic groups; guilds; communities; trophic structure