Rooteating Beetles - Rhizophagidae

The family Rhizophagidae is little known. Its members are usually found in ant nests or in the tunnels of wood-boring insects. The family name is derived from the words "root eater." However, it is suspected that rhizophagids feed on the larvae and excrement of their hosts. Small, elongate, and usually dark in color, these beetles display lo-segmented antennae, in which the last one or two segments are clubbed. The wing covers are short, exposing the rear tip of the abdomen.