| Syntelia | |
|---|---|
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| Syntelia sp. collected from Sichuan, China | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Superfamily: | Histeroidea |
| Family: | Synteliidae Lewis, 1882 |
| Genus: | Syntelia Westwood, 1864 |
| Species | |
Syntelia histeroides | |
Syntelia is a genus ofbeetles. It is the only genus in the familySynteliidae. There are seven known species, which are native to high-elevation regions in southern North America from centralMexico toGuatemala, and in eastern Asia, from India to Japan and eastern Russia. They are generally associated with rotting logs, typically found under bark, though the Mexican speciesS. westwoodi has been found inside large decayingcolumnar cacti. Adults and larvae are predatory, feeding on insect larvae.[1][2] A fossil species,Syntelia sunwukong, is known from the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian) agedBurmese amber of Myanmar.[3] Adults are around 1–3.5 centimetres (0.39–1.38 in) in length.[1] The characteristics of the family and genus include geniculateantennae with 3-segmented club, elongate body, narrowly separatedcoxae andtarsi with bisetoseempodia. Only oneabdominal segment is exposed behindelytra.[4] The genus described byJohn O. Westwood in 1864, while the family was erected byGeorge Lewis in 1882. They are members ofHisteroidea, which also includes clown beetles (Histeridae).[3]