[4] The beetle was discovered by biologists Christoph von Beeren and Daniel Kronauer whilst investigating the relationships between army ants of the genus Eciton and their diverse fauna of symbionts in Costa Rica.

[4][5] Alexey Tishechkin, together with Christoph von Beeren, named the new species after their colleague Daniel Kronauer, honoring his many discoveries in army ant research.

[4] N. kronaueri is noted for its unusual mechanism of phoretic transport - it uses its mouthparts (the mandibles) to attach itself to the waist (between the petiole and postpetiole) of medium sized ant workers of the species Eciton mexicanum.

[7] It has also been shown to be intensively licked/groomed by ant workers, indicating that it might additionally produce appeasing chemical compounds from exocrine glands.

[7] Lastly, the beetle, like many members of the subfamily Haeteriinae, is able to retract all its extremities into preformed body cavities, leaving the ants no point of attack.