a ball, increasing this resemblance. Eucinetidae

includes around 50 usually rare species; they are

able to jump. The last family, Decliniidae, from

the far east of Asia, was discovered in the 1990s;

there are only two known species, of which

little is known.

preserve easily as fossils, so their known

fossil record goes back only as far as

the Cretaceous period. Supposed fossil

Clambidae are known from early

Cretaceous Lebanese amber, and Scirtidae

from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber. It

is likely that Scirtoidea date back to much

earlier, but fossil evidence for this is still

to be discovered

left | Eucinetus morio

(Eucinetidae) This North

American beetle is feeding on

slime molds, on which its

larvae develop.

below | Exochomoscirtes

luteosuturalis (Scirtidae) The

colorful genus from tropical

Asia has large hind legs and

resembles the unrelated flea

beetles (Chrysomelidae).