to order Order Coleoptera     to superfamily Superfamily Histeroidea 99,940 Views 
 previous family Hydrophilidae

Histeridae (clown beetles)

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The clown beetles (Histe­ridae) comprises very small (1 mm), but also medium-sized (20 mm) species. Worldwide, about 4000 species have been described, 85 are known to occur in Germany. Most of them are carnivorous und actively hunt other insects and their larvae. They are often found on carrion, dung, under bark, in nests of mammals and birds. Some species are associated with ants (myrmecophilic) and can be found in ant nests. The shortened elytra leave the last two tergites uncovered. When threatened many clown beetles play dead (thanathosis). In doing so, the legs and antennae are retracted in special hollows on the lower side of the body.

World: 3900 Europe: 314 Germany: 85 collected: 34 Missing species Overview in inquiry module fraction: 40%
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   Hint Color of pronotum or elytra, total or partial, also metallic shine
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Missing species Histeridae (clown beetles) – currently missing species (51)
 Teretrius fabricii
 Plegaderus saucius
 Plegaderus vulneratus
 Plegaderus discisus
 Chetabraeus globulus
 Abraeus granulum
 Abraeus parvulus
 Acritus nigricornis
 Acritus komai
 Acritus homoeopathicus
 Myrmetes paykulli
 Gnathoncus rotundatus
 Gnathoncus nannetensis
 Gnathoncus communis
 Gnathoncus buyssoni
 Gnathoncus nidorum
 Saprinus semipunctatus
 Saprinus rugifer
 Saprinus planiusculus
 Saprinus subnitescens
 Saprinus tenuistrius
 Saprinus lautus
 Saprinus virescens
 Saprinus politus
 Saprinus immundus
 Saprinus aeneus
 Saprinus aegialis
 Chalcionellus decemstriatus
 Hypocacculus rufipes
 Hypocaccus metallicus
 Hypocaccus specularis
 Hypocaccus dimidiatus
 Bacanius rombophorus
 Dendrophilus pygmaeus
 Kissister minimus
 Platylomalus complanatus
 Onthophilus punctatus
 Epierus comptus
 Platysoma deplanatum
 Platysoma lineare
 Margarinotus bipustulatus
 Margarinotus neglectus
 Margarinotus ventralis
 Margarinotus punctiventer
 Margarinotus distinctus
 Margarinotus terricola
 Margarinotus ruficornis
 Hister quadrinotatus
 Hister illigeri
 Hister funestus
 Atholus praetermissus
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