Clown beetle

about 330, see text

The clown beetles or more traditionally hister beetles are a family (Histeridae) of beetles of distinctive appearance; their flattened leg segments recall the baggy or flowing clothes of clowns or actors ("hister" is from the Latin histrio, actor). The 3,900 species of the family are found worldwide, usually living in dung, carrion, or animal burrows, where they feed on the larvae and eggs of soft-bodied insects, especially those of flies.

Reference

• Peter W. Kovarik and Michael S. Caterino , "Histeridae", in Ross H. Arnett, Jr. and Michael C. Thomas, American Beetles (CRC Press, 2001), vol. 1