The family Sphaeritidae is a very small and specialised group of beetles within the superfamily Histeroidea. It comprises a single genus, Sphaerites, and only a few species, which inhabit predominantly forested and mountainous areas of the temperate zone of the Northern Hemisphere. The beetles are strikingly ovoid, strongly arched, black with a subtle metallic, often bluish sheen, and measure only a few millimetres in size. They are rarely encountered in the wild, as they live hidden away in decaying fungi, rotting wood, sap exudates, carrion or dung. The biology of the family itself remains largely unexplored; nevertheless, known observations from the natural environment reveal an interesting mode of reproduction, linked to flowing tree sap and a rapid life cycle of the larval stages. Due to their hidden way of life and their dependence on native habitats, they escape general attention and are regarded as valuable bioindicators of the continuity of natural forests.

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Family Card

Sphaerites glabratus