Scydmaeninae are a
subfamily of small
beetles, commonly called ant-like stone beetles or scydmaenines. These beetles occur worldwide, and the subfamily includes some 4,500
species in about 80
genera. Established as a family, they were reduced in status to a subfamily of Staphylinidae in 2009 [1]
Many scydmaenine species have a narrowing between head and thorax and thorax and abdomen, resulting in a passing resemblance to
ants that inspires their common name. They are typically small beetles, with some very small species only half a millimeter in length. Scydmaenids typically live in
leaf litter and rotting logs in forests, preferring moist habitats. A number of types are known to feed on
oribatid mites, using "hole scraping" and "cutting" techniques to get through the mite's hard shells.
^Grebennikov, V.V. and Newton, A.F. 2009. Good-bye Scydmaenidae: or why the ant-like stone beetles should become megadiverse Staphylinidae sensu latissimo (Coleoptera). European Journal of Entomology 106: 275-301.