Histeridae

Histeridae is a family of beetles in the order Coleoptera commonly known as clown beetles or hister beetles, first named by Leonard Gyllenhaal in 1808. The family contains more than 410 genera and 4,800 described species worldwide, with more than 500 species recorded in North America, and dates in the fossil record to the Early Cretaceous. They are recognized by shortened elytra that leave two abdominal segments exposed and elbowed, clubbed antennae, are mostly nocturnal predators that feign death when threatened, and are useful in forensic investigations for estimating time of death.