Histeridae (Family)

Overview

Histeridae is a of beetles, commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles. They have a distinctive appearance, with flattened leg segments recalling the baggy or flowing clothes of clowns or actors ("hister" is from the Latin histrio, actor). The 3,900 species of the family are found worldwide.

Characteristics

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Hister unicolor

Clown beetles are small to medium sized. Two general body forms exist within the Histeridae. The more common form is nearly circular and very compact; the other form tends to be longer than wide and somewhat rectangular in shape. Many clown beetles are dark colored, often black, but they may have red, orange, or yellow markings. There are often grooves in the beetle's underside into which the antennae and legs can be retracted when the beetle feels threatened. Their legs are flat and widened, an adaptation for digging in soil or dung. Such an adaptation is said to be fossorial.

Systematics and Evolution

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Hister quadrimaculatus

Histeridae belong to the superfamily Histeroidea, of the Staphyliniformia group. The family is currently divided into 330 genera and the following subfamilies:

Abraeinae
Chlamydopsinae
Dendrophilinae
Haeteriinae
Histerinae
Niponiinae
Onthophilinae
Saprininae
Tribalinae
Trypanaeinae
Trypeticinae

The relationships and (monophyly) of the subfamilies are not clear yet, and recent studies have cast much doubt on the traditional views^[1].

Ecology

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Clown beetles can usually be found living in dung, carrion, or animal burrows, where both the larvae and adults feed on the juvenile stages of other insects, especially those of flies. In this way clown beetles can be instrumental in controlling certain livestock pests that breed in dung. Another large group of histerids lives under bark of trees where they predate on subcortical insects (e.g. family Curculionidae: Scolytinae). The Hetaeriinae and Chlamydopsinae subfamilies are myrmecophilous

Photos

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Taxonomy

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The Family Histeridae is a member of the Superfamily Hydrophiloidea. Here is the complete "parentage" of Histeridae:

Domain: Eukaryota Whittaker & Margulis,1978 - eukaryotes
- Kingdom: Animalia Linnaeus, 1758 - animals
  - Subkingdom: Bilateria (Hatschek, 1888) Cavalier-Smith, 1983 - bilaterians
    - Branch: Protostomia Grobben, 1908 - protostomes
      - Infrakingdom: Ecdysozoa Aguinaldo Et Al., 1997 Ex Cavalier-Smith, 1998 - ecdysozoans
        Superphylum: Panarthropoda Cuvier
        Phylum: Arthropoda Latreille, 1829
        Subphylum: Mandibulata Snodgrass, 1938
        Infraphylum: Atelocerata Heymons, 1901
        Superclass: Panhexapoda
        Class: Insecta C. Linnaeus, 1758
        Subclass: Dicondylia
        Infraclass: Pterygota - Winged Insects
        Order: Coleoptera C. Linnaeus, 1758 - Beetles
        Suborder: Polyphaga Emery, 1886
        Infraorder: Scarabaeiformia
        Superfamily: Hydrophiloidea
        Family: Histeridae - Hister Beetles

The Family Histeridae is further organized into finer groupings including:

Subfamily (7): Abraeinae · Dendrophilinae · Hetaeriinae · Histerinae · Hydrophilinae · Saprininae · Sphaeridiinae
Genus (153): Abraeomorphus · Abraeus · Acritodes · Acritus · Aeletes · Ametor · Anacaena · Anaglymma · Anapleus · Antongilus · Aphelosternus · Apobletodes · Atholus · Atribalus · Bacaniomorphus · Bacanius · Baconia · Baeckmanniolus · Berosus · Binhister · Carcinops · Cercyon · Chaetabraeus · Chaetarthria · Chalcionellus · Chartabraeus · Chlamydopsis · Coelostoma · Contipus · Crenitis · Cryptopleurum · Cyclobacanius · Cyclotypus · Cycrillum · Cylister · Cylistix · Cymbiodyta · Cypturus · Dactylosternum · Dahlgrenius · Dendrophilus · Derallus · Dibolocelus · Diplostix · Eblisia · Enochrus · Eopachylopus · Epiechinus · Epierus · Epitoxasia · Epitoxus · Eremosaprinus · Eretmotus · Eubrachium · Eudiplister · Eulomalus · Euspilotus · Eutriptus · Exaesiopus · Genyon · Gnathoncus · Gomyoscelis · Grammostethus · Haeterius · Halacritus · Helobata · Helochares · Helophorus · Hetaerius · Heteryon · Hister · Hololepta · Hydrobiomorpha · Hydrobius · Hydrochara · Hydrophilus · Hypobletus · Hypocacculus · Hypocaccus · Iberacritus · Idolia · Kissister · Laccobius · Lewister · Limnoxenus · Liopygus · Macrolister · Macrosternus · Margarinotus · Megasternum · Merohister · Microlomalus · Myrmetes · Neopachylopus · Nicotikis · Niponius · Notodoma · Notosaprinus · Omalodes · Onthophilus · Oosternum · Operclipygus · Oxysternus · Pachycraerus · Pachylister · Pachylomalus · Pachylopus · Pactolinus · Paracymus · Paralister · Paratropus · Parepierus · Paromalus · Pelosoma · Pemelus · Peranus · Phaenonotum · Phaenostoma · Phaenotypus · Phelister · Phloeolister · Pholioxenus · Plaesius · Plagiogramma · Platyeutidium · Platylister · Platylomalus · Platysoma · Plegaderus · Pleuroleptus · Pseudepierus · Psiloscelis · Saprinus · Sardulus · Satrapes · Spelaeabraeus · Sperchopsis · Sphaerites · Sternocoelis · Stictostix · Styphrus · Teretriosoma · Teretrius · Therondus · Tomogenius · Tribalus · Troglosternus · Tropisternus · Trypeticus · Tryponaeus · Xenonychus · Xerosaprinus · Zabromorphus
Species: ZipcodeZoo has pages for 1,242 species and subspecies in the Family Histeridae.

Histeridae

Overview

Characteristics

Systematics and Evolution

Ecology

Further Reading

Photos

Taxonomy

Genera

Abraeomorphus

Abraeus

Acritodes

Acritus

Aeletes

Ametor

Anacaena

Anaglymma

Anapleus

Antongilus

Aphelosternus

Apobletodes

Atholus

Atribalus

Bacaniomorphus

Bacanius

Baconia

Baeckmanniolus

Berosus

Binhister

Carcinops

Cercyon

Chaetabraeus

Chaetarthria

Chalcionellus

Chartabraeus

Chlamydopsis

Coelostoma

Contipus

Crenitis

Cryptopleurum

Cyclobacanius

Cyclotypus

Cycrillum

Cylister

Cylistix

Cymbiodyta

Cypturus

Dactylosternum

Dahlgrenius

Dendrophilus

Derallus

Dibolocelus

Diplostix

Eblisia

Enochrus

Eopachylopus

Epiechinus

Epierus

Epitoxasia

Epitoxus

Eremosaprinus

Eretmotus

Eubrachium

Eudiplister

Eulomalus

Euspilotus

Eutriptus

Exaesiopus

Genyon

Gnathoncus

Gomyoscelis

Grammostethus

Haeterius

Halacritus

Helobata

Helochares

Helophorus

Hetaerius

Heteryon

Hister