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Superfamily Elateroidea
A person may describe a bug as "flat" or "flat-bodied" before they use a shoe to make it so. Some Florida beetles may not be classified scientifically as a "flat beetle," but because their shape conforms to the descriptor, they are flat beetles. Several examples of this exist in the superfamily Elateroidea, namely the click beetle and the false click beetle. The click beetle (Elateridae) family contains thousands of species, but all of them have a singular method of righting themselves when on their backs: they force themselves to spring up against a hard surface, creating a distinct clicking noise each time. They are flat-shaped bugs that share the same general body structure as the false click beetle (Eucnemidae). Species are still being discovered, especially in Florida, for both of these beetles.
Superfamily Cucujoidea
The superfamily Cucujoidea includes no less than twenty families, each with varying numbers of sub-families to further break them down. Many of these families show no signs of flat-bodied structures to their members. In fact, the superfamily includes the flower, flat bark, and ladybird beetles. Some of these beetles feed on and live around fungi, slimes, and molds, while others are more readily recognizable: the ladybird beetle is also called the ladybug in the United States. Cucujoidea has four families within it that fit the "flat beetle" name, both scientifically and figuratively.
Flat Bark Beetles
Only the families Silvanidae, Passandridae, Cucujidae, and Laemophloeidae are flat bark beetles. These beetles do exactly as their name implies: they live in and around bark, and they are flat-bodied. Silvanidae beetles are mostly fungus-eaters however they do contain several genus of grain-eating pests. As fungus tends to grow on bark Silvanidae can be found there, especially in the more tropical areas of Florida. Laemophloeidae are similar, but can predate other bark beetles. Cucujidae, the family that gave the superfamily its name, is only found under tree bark, and is thought to eat other arthropods. The last family, Passandridae, are considered parasitic due to their larvae living off of other tree-dwelling insects much as a flea would a dog. The adult's diet is unknown.
Grain Beetles
Though many grain beetle families have sub-families and genus listed, two species of Silvanidae's genus Oryzaephilus most often come into contact with humans in their homes. These are the merchant grain beetle and the sawtoothed grain beetle. They are considered pests and can contaminate even tightly packaged foods. They prefer to eat and live in the packages of cookies, cakes, macaroni, chocolate, and cereals inside pantries. Sawtoothed grain beetles have slight differences in their bodies, and they cannot fly like merchant grain beetles, but each type can infest the same products in a pantry for months at a time. Their flat bodies can slip into and out of packaging that would otherwise stop larger insects.