Chelonariidae or turtle beetles is a
family
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...
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 in the superfamily
Byrrhoidea
Byrrhoidea is a superfamily of beetles belonging to Elateriformia that includes several families which are either aquatic or associated with a semi-aquatic habitat. Other than the superfamily Hydrophiloidea, most of the remaining Polyphagan beetl ...
. It was described by Blanchard in 1845.
Callirhipidae
at insects.tamu.edu. There are 3 genera with around 300 described species. Little is known of their ecology, though it seems they are associated with the roots of orchids and the nests of ants and termites. Their exoskeletons are heavily sclerotised and their limbs can be effectively retracted into their bodies due to the presence of socket-like cavities.[Beutel, Rolf G. and Leschen, Richard A. B.. "Chelonariidae Blanchard, 1845: Coleoptera, Beetles". ''Handbook of Zoology Online'', edited by Andreas Schmidt-Rhaesa. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter, 2016.]
Genera
* '' Brounia'' Sharp, 1878 (New Zealand)
* '' Chelonarium'' Fabricius, 1801 (Americas, Asia, Australia)
* '' Pseudochelonarium'' Pic, 1916 (South & Southeast Asia, New Guinea)
References
Byrrhoidea
Polyphaga families
{{Byrrhidae-stub