Haeterius

The beetle genus Haeterius is a myrmecophiloous Histerid beetle distributed throughout Central and North America as well as in Europe, Africa and Asia. The adults are tick-like and are often fed by their host ants for the few species where the biology is known. The larvae remain undescribed although it expected that they develop within their host ant nest. The adults often bear a series of trichome hairs and associated glands, the role of the glandular secretions and trichome hairs have not been clearly defined. There are about twenty species in the genus in North America and each beetle species has a preferred host ant genus and species.