Hydrophilidae Latreille, 1802

Berx, Peter, Bosmans, Bart, Dekoninck, Wouter, Janssen, Marc, Stassen, Eugène & Crevecoeur, Luc, 2023, Faunistic survey of myrmecophilous and other ant-associated beetles and spiders in the Belgian province of Limburg (Araneae, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera: Formicidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 141, pp. 1-61 : 19

Hydrophilidae Latreille, 1802

As the family name suggests, majority of the species of this family are wetland species. Along with other members of the subfamily Sphaeridiinae , Megasternum concinnum (1.7-2.2 mm) ( Fig. 15 ) is rather terrestrial with a preference for decaying organic matter. Their presence is not limited to decomposing plant material, but this beetle may be very abundant in drier dung, which is why they are often recorded at mammal nests. A single specimen of M. concinnum was found in Tongeren by sieving wood dust, and the second specimen observed in Voeren was captured using a trap placed in the wood mold within the tree cavity, near a nest of L. fuliginosus and L. brunneus , respectively.

Figures

Fig.15. Megasternum concinnum (Marsham, 1802) (range 1.7-2.2mm). © U. Schmidt.