Hydrophiloidea, known as water scavenger beetles, is a superfamily of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s. Until recently it included only a single family, the

Hydrophilidae Hydrophilidae, also known colloquially as water scavenger beetles, is a family of beetles. Aquatic hydrophilids are notable for their long maxillary palps, which are longer than their antennae. Several of the former subfamilies of Hydrophilidae ...

(water scavenger beetles), but several of the subfamilies have been removed and raised to family rank. Hydrophiliidae remains by far the largest member of the group, with nearly 3,000 described species. The other families have no more than 400 species. The

Histeroidea Histeroidea is a superfamily of beetles in the infraorder Staphyliniformia. Characteristics Characteristic to Histeroidea are an accessory posterior ridge (locking device) behind the hind margin and presence of medial loop and apical hinge of ...

are closely related and sometimes considered part of a ''sensu lato'' Hydrophiloidea. The majority of the clade is aquatic, which is thought to be the ancestral ecology of the group, with some lineages like Sphaeridiinae becoming secondarily terrestrial. Modern representatives of the group first appeared during the Late Jurassic. Families include: * Epimetopidae * Georissidae * Helophoridae * Hydrochidae *

* Spercheidae

Extinct genera

* †'' Laetopsia'' Fikácek et al. 2012

Yixian Formation The Yixian Formation (; formerly transcribed as Yihsien Formation) is a geological formation in Jinzhou, Liaoning, People's Republic of China, that spans the late Barremian and early Aptian stages of the Early Cretaceous. It is known for its exq ...

, China,

Shinekhudag Formation The Shinekhudag Formation (also known as Shinekhudug Formation, Shinekhudag or Shinekhudukskaya Svita) is a geological formation in Dundgov, Mongolia whose strata date back to the Early Cretaceous. Dinosaur remains have been recovered from it.Wei ...

, Dzun-Bain Formation Mongolia,

Zaza Formation The Zaza Formation is a geological formation located in Buryatia (Russia). It dates to the Lower Cretaceous period. It is Aptian in age and consists of sandstones, siltstones, marls and bituminous shales, deposited in a stratified lake. It is s ...

, Russia, Early Cretaceous ( Aptian) * †'' Cretotaenia'' Ponomarenko 1977 Zaza Formation, Russia, Early Cretaceous (Aptian) * †'' Hydrophilopsia'' Ponomarenko 1987 Glushkovo Formation, Russia, Late Jurassic (Tithonian), Turga Formation, Russia, Early Cretaceous (Aptian)

References

Beetle superfamilies {{Hydrophiloidea-stub