| Staphylinoidea Temporal range: | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Devil's coach horse beetle, Ocypus olens (Staphylinidae) | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Superfamily: | Staphylinoidea Latreille, 1802 |
Staphylinoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is a very large and diverse group with worldwide distribution.
Adult staphylinoids are generally small beetles no more than a few millimetres long, though Staphylinidae can reach 50 mm long and Silphidae can reach 45 mm. [1] The superfamily includes the smallest beetles (and the smallest of all non-parasitic insects) in family Ptiliidae. Most Ptiliidae do not exceed 1 mm long as adults, while the smallest species is just 325 µm long. [2]
Adults can be recognised by the hind wings having no accessory posterior ridge (locking device), no medial loop, no wedge cell and no apical hinge. The 8th segment of the abdomen is not entirely invaginated within the 7th. The head usually lacks a coronal suture (rarely with a short, rudimentary suture). [1]
Larval staphylinoids have 3-segmented (rarely 4-segmented) maxillary palps with distinct (often fused) galia and lacinia. The body usually has well-developed tergites and sternites. The spiracles are annular or annular-biforous. There are no epistomal lobes. [1]
Staphylinoidea contains the following subgroups: [3] [4] [5] [6]
The unambiguous fossil record dates back to Triassic, and an early Mesozoic origin of the group is probable. [7]
A 2019 molecular phylogenetic study confirmed the monophyly of Ptilidae and found that it is sister group to Hydraenidae. [2]
Harpalinae is a huge subfamily of ground beetles that contains 20,000 species or ~6,400 spp. in 24 tribes worldwide, according to others. A rarely used common name for the subfamily is the harp beetles. The Harpalinae contain the most apomorphic ground beetles, displaying a wide range of forms and behaviors. Some are, rare among ground beetles, omnivores or even herbivores.
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Its constituent families are also undergoing revision presently, and the family list below is only preliminary.
Cucujoidea is a superfamily of beetles. This group formerly included all of the families now included in the superfamily Coccinelloidea. They include some fungus beetles and a diversity of lineages of "bark beetles" unrelated to the "true" bark beetles (Scolytinae), which are weevils.
Bostrichoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is the type superfamily of the infraorder Bostrichiformia.
Cleroidea is a small superfamily of beetles containing over 10,000 species. Most of the members of the group are somewhat slender, often with fairly soft, flexible elytra, and typically hairy or scaly.
Byrrhoidea is a superfamily of beetles belonging to Elateriformia that includes several families which are either aquatic or associated with a semi-aquatic habitat. Other than the superfamily Hydrophiloidea, most of the remaining Polyphagan beetles which are aquatic are in this superfamily.
Agyrtidae, or primitive carrion beetles, are a small family of beetles belonging to Staphylinoidea. They are found in mostly temperate areas of the Northern Hemisphere and in New Zealand.
Melyridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea.
Trogossitidae, also known as bark-gnawing beetles, are a small family in the superfamily Cleroidea. Many taxa formerly within this family have been removed to other families, such as Lophocateridae, Peltidae, Protopeltidae, Rentoniidae, and Thymalidae. Members of the family are generally predatory and/or feed on fungi, both in adult and larval stages, and are generally associated with wood, being found under bark or inside bored tunnel galleries. There are about 400 species in 25 genera in the family under the new, restricted circumscription, as opposed to 600 species in over 50 genera in the old definition. The oldest fossil assignable to the modern, more restricted definition of the family is Microtrogossita from the mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber of Myanmar, which has close affinities to the Trogossitini, indicating that the family had already considerably diversified by this time.
The Aleocharinae are one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles, containing over 12,000 species. Previously subject to large-scale debate whether the subfamily deserved the familial status, it is now considered one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles.
The Oxytelinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles. There are about 20 genera and at least 320 described species in Oxytelinae.
Harpalini is a tribe of a diverse group of ground beetles belonging to the subfamily Harpalinae within the broader family Carabidae. The tribe contains more than 2500 species.
Lesteva is a genus of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 60 described species in Lesteva.
Anthophagini is a tribe of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 20 genera and 20 described species in Anthophagini.
Omalium is a genus of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 70 described species in Omalium.
Omaliini is a tribe of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 12 genera and 19 described species in Omaliini.
Phloeonomus is a genus of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about eight described species in Phloeonomus.
Malachiini is a large tribe of soft-winged flower beetles in the family Melyridae.