| Golden spider beetle | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Family: | Ptinidae |
| Genus: | Niptus |
| Species: | N. hololeucus |
| Binomial name | |
| Niptus hololeucus (Faldermann, 1836) | |
The golden spider beetle, Niptus hololeucus, is a species of spider beetle in the family Ptinidae. [1] [2]
Niptus hololeucus is 3–4.5mm in length. [3] Its body is covered in silky golden hairs and fine scales.
Niptus hololeucus may be a pest of a wide variety of cereal based food products. [3] In 1981 an account of an infestation of these beetles was located in a roof void above offices in Rotherham, U.K. [4] This was found to be due to wild pigeons which were nesting within the loft: the beetles and their larvae were feeding upon their waste matter.
It is a temperate species originating in West Asia but now cosmopolitan. It is widespread across western Europe. [5] A single record was first recorded in Iran in a cave 2014. [6] N. hololeucus is one of the two species of Niptus to be found in caves. [6]
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