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Family Histeridae - Clown Beetles
Classification Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles)
Superfamily Hydrophiloidea (Water Scavenger and Clown Beetles)
Family Histeridae (Clown Beetles)
Other Common Names Hister Beetles Explanation of Names Author of family is Gyllenhaal, 1808. Named for genus Hister, (Linneaus). Hister (dervied from histrio) is Latin for actor (1). There is some dispute about the origin of the name (2). One idea is that the beetles "act" of feigning death is the reference. Hister was also used by the classical poet Juvenal to mean a low or dirty individual. Another idea is that the flattened legs recall the baggy pants of clowns and other actors (Wikipedia-- Histeridae). Numbers Nearctica.com lists approx. 51 genera or something like that.
White (3) lists 53 genera, 359 spp. for North America
American Beetles (4) states there are 57 genera, 435 spp. known from the United States
worldwide, about 3,900 species (Wikipedia-- Histeridae) Identification Small to medium-sized, compact and sturdy beetles, typically black and shiny, though a very few are brightly colored. Family characteristics (2) (3):
elytra short, do not reach tip ( apex) of abdomen, exposing two tergites
species that live under bark very flattened
elytra typically striate and punctate
legs short, tibiae usually compressed, front tibiae modified for digging, middle tibiae often with long spines--provide traction on substrate
five visible abdominal sternites, the first one long, last very short
antennae distinctive: short, elbowed, with "abrupt" 3-segmented club, i.e., geniculate and capitate--fold into cavities on underside of pronotum
tarsal formula 5-5-5 (five tarsal segments on each leg)
Photos showing family characteristics:
Habitus, especially elytra
Abdomen
Antennae
Legs, showing tibiae and tarsi:
Habitat Found in dung, carrion, decomposing fungi, under bark. Flattened species usually occur under bark. Some are symbiotic with ants. Also can be found in forest litter, flood debris, treeholes, bird nests, mammal/reptile burrows, at sap flows, under wrack on beaches, and on sandy beaches. Food Adults and larvae predatory on other insects (such as maggots), other small animals. Print References Borror, entry for hister (1)
Dillon and Dillon, p. 219, family discussion (2)
White, pp. 132-133, figs. 49-50, plate 1 (3)
American Beetles, Vol. 1, Chapter 15 (4)
Mazur, S. 1997. A World catalogue of the Histeridae (Coleoptera: Histeroidea). Biologica Silesiae, Wroclaw. 373 pp.
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