Spider beetles make up the subfamily Ptininae, in the family Ptinidae. There are approximately 70 genera and 600 species in the subfamily, with about 12 genera and 70 species in North America north of Mexico.[1][2][3][4][5]

Ptininae, Spider beetle
Niptus hololeucus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Superfamily: Bostrichoidea
Family: Ptinidae
Subfamily: Ptininae
Latreille, 1803
Photograph: Gibbium psylloides

Spider beetles have round bodies with long, slender legs. Many species are flightless, either in females only or both sexes. They are generally 1–5 mm long, and reproduce at the rate of two to three generations per year. They are so named because of a resemblance to spiders. Some species have long legs, antennae that can seem like an additional pair of legs, and a body shape that may appear superficially like that of a spider.[4]

The larvae and the adults of most spider beetles are scavengers on dry plant or animal matter, but some species are known to be myrmecophilic, or ant affiliates.[4]

The subfamily Ptininae, along with Anobiinae and several others, were formerly considered members of the family Anobiidae, but the family name has since been changed to Ptinidae.[5][2][3][4][1]

Genera edit

These genera belong to the subfamily Ptininae:[6][7]

Data sources: i = ITIS,[8] c = Catalogue of Life,[9] g = GBIF,[10] b = Bugguide.net[1]

Gallery edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Ptininae Subfamily Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  2. ^ a b Bell, Karen Leanne; Philips, T. Keith (2011). "Molecular systematics and evolution of the Ptinidae (Coleoptera: Bostrichoidea) and related families" (PDF). Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 165: 88–108. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.2011.00792.x.
  3. ^ a b Löbl, Ivan; Smetana, Aleš (2007). Lobl, I.; Smetana, A. (eds.). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera. doi:10.1163/9789004260894. ISBN 978-87-88757-67-5. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c d Arango, Rachel A.; Young, Daniel K. (2012). "Death-watch and spider beetles of Wisconsin (Coleoptera: Ptinidae)" (PDF). General Technical Report FPL-GTR-209.
  5. ^ a b Bouchard, Patrice; Bousquet, Yves; Davies, Anthony E.; Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A.; et al. (2011). "Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)". ZooKeys (88): 1–972. doi:10.3897/zookeys.88.807. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3088472. PMID 21594053.
  6. ^ "Fauna Europaea, Ptininae". Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  7. ^ "BioLib.cz, Ptininae Latreille, 1802". Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  8. ^ "ITIS, Integrated Taxonomic Information System". Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  9. ^ "Catalogue of Life". Retrieved 2018-08-29.
  10. ^ "GBIF". Retrieved 2018-08-29.

External links edit