The shining flower beetles (Phalacridae) are small, oval shaped and glossy. Adults are usually found on flowers and grasses. The larvae of genus Olibrus feed in flower heads of Compositae, those of genus Phalacrus on spores and stomata of rusts and smuts on grasses and sedges. Worldwide about 640 species in 52 genera have been described, thereof 22 species are known to occur in Germany.