Termitophiles
Guides
Cetoniinae
Fruit and Flower Chafers, Flower Chafers, Flower Scarabs, Flower Beetles
Cetoniinae is a diverse subfamily of scarab beetles comprising approximately 4,000 species, many still undescribed. Adults are commonly known as fruit and flower chafers due to their frequent association with flowers for pollen and nectar, and their consumption of fruit. Many species exhibit bright coloration and distinctive patterns. The subfamily is characterized by a unique flight mechanism in which the elytra remain closed during flight while the membranous hind wings deploy through a specialized hinge, producing a bee-like flight appearance. Members occupy varied habitats including forests, grasslands, agricultural areas, and urban parks across tropical and temperate regions worldwide.
Histeridae
clown beetles, hister beetles
Histeridae is a cosmopolitan family of predatory beetles containing more than 410 genera and 4,800 described species worldwide. Members are commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles. They are immediately recognizable by their shortened elytra that leave two abdominal tergites exposed, and their elbowed antennae with clubbed, lamellate ends. The family exhibits remarkable ecological diversity, with species occupying niches ranging from carrion and dung to ant and termite colonies, forest litter, and tree bark. Their predatory habits on fly larvae and other arthropods have made them valuable for biological control and forensic entomology.
Vatesini
Vatesini is a tribe of rove beetles (Staphylinidae) established by Seevers in 1958, classified within the subfamily Tachyporinae. The tribe comprises ten extant and extinct genera, including Cilea, Coproporus, Vatesus, and the fossil genus †Procileoporus. Members are small to medium-sized beetles with the characteristic abbreviated elytra of Staphylinidae. The tribe has accumulated over 1,600 observations on iNaturalist, indicating moderate documentation of its species in the field.