Histeroidea is a superfamily

Taxonomic rank

In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...

 of beetle

Beetle

Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...

s in the infraorder Staphyliniformia

Staphyliniformia

Staphyliniformia is a large infraorder of beetles. It contains over 60,000 described species from all regions of the world. Most species occur in moist habitats - various kinds of rotting plant debris, fungi, dung, carrion, many live in fresh water....

.

Characteristics

Characteristic to Histeroidea are an accessory posterior ridge (locking device) behind the hind margin and presence of medial loop and apical hinge of wing

Insect wing

Insects are the only group of invertebrates known to have evolved flight. Insects possess some remarkable flight characteristics and abilities, still far superior to attempts by humans to replicate their capabilities. Even our understanding of the aerodynamics of flexible, flapping wings and how...

. Elytra truncate, 1 ot 2 abdominal

Abdomen

In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...

 segments visible, abdominal 8th segment completely invaginated in the 7th segment. Antennae

Antenna (biology)

Antennae in biology have historically been paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods. More recently, the term has also been applied to cilium structures present in most cell types of eukaryotes....

 have 8 (seldom 7) segments preceding a club of fused segments. Ventral body surface glabrous.

Systematics

Some authors treat Histeroidea as a single family within the superfamily Hydrophiloidea

Hydrophiloidea

Hydrophiloidea is a superfamily of beetles. Until recently it only included a single family, the water scavenger beetles , but several of the subfamilies have been removed and raised to family rank.-External links:*...

 (Hydrophiloidea sensu lato), as they seem to form a clade

Clade

A clade is a group consisting of a species and all its descendants. In the terms of biological systematics, a clade is a single "branch" on the "tree of life". The idea that such a "natural group" of organisms should be grouped together and given a taxonomic name is central to biological...

. Three families are currently recognized:

• Histeridae
• Sphaeritidae
• Synteliidae