Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Includes Malachiidae and Dasytidae, according to American Beetles, Vol. 2
(1)
Fauna Europaea treats Malachiidae and Dasytidae as valid families, distinct from Melyridae
Numbers
501 species in 52 genera in North America listed at
nearctica.comIdentification
Adult: body may have a soft appearance from the numerous erect hairs; front coxae prominent; antennae insert in front of the head above the mandibles; many species have a fleshy lobe between the tarsal claws, and some have orange eversible sacs along the sides of the abdomen that are sometimes visible
[adapted from description by Roger Bland, How to Know the Insects, 1978]
Range
most of United States and southern Canada (two species reach Northwest Territories but none are found in Yukon or Alaska)
Habitat
adults are commonly found on flowers of herbaceous plants
larvae occur in various habitats but most commonly in soil, leaf litter, or under bark
Food
chiefly insects but food preferences vary within the family
adults evidently feed on flower-visiting insects as well as pollen
larvae are primarily predators of other insects
Print References
American Beetles, Vol. 2, Chapter 74
(1)Internet References
distribution of species in Canada; PDF doc list of provinces and territories (D.E. Bright, Melyridae; Checklist of Beetles of Canada and Alaska)
