Malachiidae

The former family Melyridae has been split into two families, Dasytidae and Malachiidae. The latter contains 17 British species, which are often brightly-coloured soft-bodied beetles.  Larvae are predatory in dead wood, while adults are usually found in meadows (especially Malachius spp.) or trees (Hypebaeus and Aplocnemus spp.), both in foliage and beneath bark.  The species are often sexually dimorphic, with males having expanded antennal segments or complex processes at the elytral apices.