Ptiliidae
| Ptiliidae Temporal range: Oligocene–Recent | |
|---|---|
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| Ptenidium pusillum | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Superfamily: | Staphylinoidea |
| Family: | Ptiliidae Heer, 1843 |
| Subfamilies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ptiliidae is a family of very tiny beetles with a cosmopolitan distribution. This family contains the smallest of all beetles,[1] with a length when fully grown of 0.3–4.0 millimetres (0.01–0.16 in).[2] The weight is approximately 0.4 milligrams.[3] They are colloquially called featherwing beetles, because the hindwings are narrow and feathery.[2] The eggs are very large in comparison to the adult female (maybe half the length) so only one egg at a time can be developed and laid.[1] Parthenogenesis is exhibited by several species.[1]
There are around 600 described species in 80 genera,[2] but large numbers of specimens in collections await description and the true number of species is likely to be much higher than this.[1] Fossil ptiliids have been recorded from the Oligocene, roughly 30 million years ago.[2] The family is divided into 3 subfamilies:[2]
- Acrotrichinae
- Cephaloplectinae
- Ptiliinae
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Henry S. Dybas (2000). "Featherwing beetles". DPI Entomology Circular 218. University of Florida. EENY-177. Retrieved October 22, 2013.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Christopher G. Mayka & Mikael Sörensson (2010). "Featherwing beetles (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae)". In Donald F. McAlpine & Ian M. Smith. Assessment of Species Diversity in the Atlantic Maritime Ecozone. NRC Research Press. pp. 433–438. ISBN 9780660198354.
- ↑ "Insects: Beetle". San Diego Zoo. 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
External links
Data related to Ptiliidae at Wikispecies- Family description on Tolweb