Hippeutister

There are six species in this myrmecophilous genus of Histeridae. Occur in the nests of Solenopsis.

Hippeutister is easily recognizable among Hetaeriinae, and almost undoubtedly monophyletic. It is most easily recognized by the broad, weakly convex prosternum with strongly divergent carinal striae, its deeply, triangularly emarginate prosternal keel, and by the correspondingly broad mesosternal projection (Fig. 6). A number of other features are more unusual among neotropical Hetaeriinae, and are also useful in recognizing members of Hippeutister. They have a cylindrical, obliquely truncate antennal club (Fig. 3B), the frons is longitudinally depressed along inner edge of eye, resulting in a distinct ocular carina (Fig. 7), the prosternum has an extra, third pair of carinal striae (Fig. 6), the pronotum exhibits oblique depressions extending forward from posterior corners (Figs. 4, 5), the elytra lack striae (though they may be weakly marked by punctures or setae), and the dorsum of the elytra is margined by a strong epipleural carina (Figs. 4, 8). It is most similar to members of the genus Poneralister Bruch, which are identical in characters of the frontal carinae. The pro- and mesosternal characters of Hippeutister separate the two genera easily.