Histeridae is a group of compact, mainly predaceous beetles. A significant number are associated with ants. In the late 1800s, the Biologia Centrali-Americana recorded only seven myrmecophilous histerids from Mexico. Recent sampling efforts using flight intercept traps and colony sampling has significantly increased the known number of myrmecophilous histerids in Mexico. Myrmecophiles are social parasites that survive at the expense of their ant host. Most myrmecophilous histerids are very host specific. Those that are well-integrated with their hosts are typically small, have grasping notches, trichomes, and expanded tibiae. Some will run with the foraging ants or ride on them.