Although few studies have been conducted on their ecology, heterocerids have been shown to be an important prey group for passerine birds and frogs (Schmidt et al., 2003; Turner, 1959), and they appear to play a significant role in seed dispersal and burial in sandy soils.

[5] In the most recent revision of the family, Francisco Pacheco (1964) split the heterocerids into 20 different genera, erecting 17 new generic names based almost entirely on the features of male genitalia.

Most systematists have found Pacheco's system complex and impractical because the ratio of genera to species is high and females cannot be identified.

By the time George H. Horn (1890) produced his key to the genus Heterocerus, there were eleven described North American species in two genera.

He produced worldwide (excluding Africa) identification keys based largely on characters of the male genitalia, leaving it impossible to identify females to species.

Pacheco also split the heterocerids into 20 different genera, erecting 17 new generic names, once again relying heavily on characters of the male genitalia.

European authors, namely S. Skalický (Czech Republic) and A. Mascagni (Italy), have described numerous species in the last ten years.