The former family Melyridae has been split into two families, Dasytidae and Malachiidae. Dasytidae contains nine British species in genus Dasytes, Psilothrix and Dolichosoma, and these mainly occur (as adults) in grassland, while larvae develop in wood, where they are predatory.  Dolichosoma lineare (Rossi) is a saltmarsh species of East Anglia and the Thames Estuary, Psilothrix spp. occur mainly in coastal grassland and dune systems in the south, while Dasytes spp. are found in flower-rich meadows.  Adults are elongate, dark-coloured metallic beetles with soft, easily-deformed elytra.