Sphaeritidae

Shuckard, 1839

False Clown Beetles

Genus Guides

1

is a small of beetles comprising the single Sphaerites with four known . Commonly called false clown beetles, this family is closely related to Histeridae (clown beetles) but possesses distinct morphological characteristics. Species are widespread in temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere but are rarely encountered in the field. The family belongs to the superfamily Histeroidea within the suborder Polyphaga.

Sphaerites politus by (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Sphaeritidae: /sfæˈrɪtɪdiː/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Wing venation patterns differ from Histeridae and serve as a diagnostic character; Sphaerites can be distinguished from true clown beetles by additional morphological characters detailed in species-level keys. The contains only the Sphaerites, separating it from all other families by this status.

Images

Distribution

Temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere; recorded from China, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden.

Similar Taxa

  • HisteridaeClosely related of true clown beetles; distinguished by wing venation and other morphological characters

Sources and further reading