Cremastocheilus nitens

One of about thirty-five species of myrmecophilous Cremastocheilus. The host ant is Formica.

Identification
Body brownish black, shining; mentum deeply concave, posterior margin produced, pointed; pronotum strongly narrowed in front; anterior angles not acute, deeply foveate; posterior angles forming a round shining tubercle, separated by a deep cut from the body of the pronotum; elytra covered with moderately close, rounded shallow punctures bearing short yellow hairs.

Distribution
Kansas (Clark Co., Reno Co.), Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska (Thomas Co.), North Dakota (Foster Co., Carrington, 14 November, 2012, Ransom Co., Richland Co.), Oklahoma (Woodard Co.), South Dakota (Bennett Co., Brown Co.).

Habitat
Common host is Formica.

Biology
There are no ant host records for Cremastocheilus nitens. Hays and McColloch (1928) collected 21 larvae from ant nests under fallen logs on sand dunes but did not record the genus or species of ant.

Nomenclature
Type: Missouri Territory, no date, one specimen described by LeConte (1853).