Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada

Family Kateretidae - Short-winged Flower Beetles

Heterhelus sericans (LeConte) - Heterhelus sericans Coleoptera, ventral - Brachypterus urticae Kateretid ? - Brachypterus urticae Beetle 4 April 11 - Brachypterus urticae Nitidulidae - Amartus tinctus  Nitidulid - Amartus tinctus Kateretidae - Brachypterolus pulicarius - Toadflax Flower-eating Beetle? - Brachypterolus pulicarius Nitidulidae, ventral - Brachypterus urticae
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Cucujoidea
No Taxon (Nitidulid series)
Family Kateretidae (Short-winged Flower Beetles)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Used to be treated as part of the Nitidulidae
The name Kateretidae has been conserved over Brachypteridae
=Brachypteridae, Cateretidae
Explanation of Names
Kateretidae Kirby 1837
Numbers
13 spp. in 6 genera in our area, ca. 100 spp. in 14 genera worldwide(1)
Range
much of NA (poorly represented in the southeast)(2); for the Midwest, see(3)
Habitat
adults found on flowers
Food
larvae develop in seed capsules of various plants, adults feed on pollen and flower petals(2)
Print References
Cline A. (2006) Commentary on priority of the family group name Kateretidae Erichson (Cucujoidea). Coleopterists Bulletin 60(3): 271-272.
Works Cited
1.Revision of the New World short-winged flower beetles (Col.:Kateretidae). Part I. Generic review and revision of Anthonaeus Horn
Cline A.R., Audisio P. 2010. Col. Bull. 64: 173–186.
2.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
3.An annotated checklist of Wisconsin sap and short-winged flower beetles (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae, Kateretidae)
Price M.B., Young D.K. 2006. Insecta Mundi 20: 69‒84.