Golden spider beetle

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Golden spider beetle
Niptus.hololeucus.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
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]

Contents

Description

Niptus hololeucus is 3–4.5mm in length. [3] Its body is covered in silky golden hairs and fine scales.

Habitat

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.

Distribution

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]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longhorn beetle</span> Family of beetles characterized by long antennae

The longhorn beetles (Cerambycidae), also known as long-horned or longicorns, are a large family of beetles, with over 35,000 species described.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bostrichoidea</span> Superfamily of beetles

Bostrichoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is the type superfamily of the infraorder Bostrichiformia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Spider beetle</span> Subfamily of beetles

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ptinidae</span> Family of beetles

Ptinidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Bostrichoidea. There are at least 220 genera and 2,200 described species in Ptinidae worldwide. The family includes spider beetles and deathwatch beetles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xyletininae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Xyletininae is a subfamily of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are about 13 genera and at least 170 described species in Xyletininae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anobiinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Anobiinae is the subfamily of death-watch beetles in the family Ptinidae, with at least 45 genera. It was formerly considered a member of the family Anobiidae, but its family name has since been changed to Ptinidae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorcatominae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Dorcatominae is a subfamily of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are about 16 genera and at least 190 described species in Dorcatominae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dryophilinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Dryophilinae is a subfamily of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least six genera and two described species in Dryophilinae.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernobiinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Ernobiinae is a subfamily of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are about 8 genera and at least 90 described species in Ernobiinae.

<i>Lasioderma</i> Genus of beetles

Lasioderma is a genus of beetles in the family Ptinidae. As of 1990, there were over 50 species in the genus.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mesocoelopodinae</span> Subfamily of beetles

Mesocoelopodinae is a subfamily of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least 4 genera and 100 described species in Mesocoelopodinae.

<i>Tricorynus</i> Genus of beetles

Tricorynus is a genus of deathwatch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least 90 described species in Tricorynus.

Calytheca is a genus of beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least two described species in Calytheca, C. elongata White 1973 and C. convexa White.

Cryptoramorphus is a genus of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least two described species in Cryptoramorphus, C. floridanus and C. flavidus.

Stagetus is a genus of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least 20 described species in Stagetus. They eat fungi.

<i>Ptinus tectus</i> Species of beetle

Ptinus tectus, often called the Australian spider beetle, is a species of beetle in the family Ptinidae, or family Anobiidae, subfamily Ptininae. It is a cosmopolitan species. It is a pest of stored foods and museum specimens.

<i>Ptinus</i> Genus of beetles

Ptinus is a genus of beetles distributed throughout much of the world, including Africa, the Australian region, the Palearctic, the Near East, the Nearctic, and the Neotropical realm. It is a member of the subfamily Ptininae, the spider beetles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xyletinini</span> Tribe of beetles

Xyletinini is a tribe of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least 10 genera and 70 described species in Xyletinini.

Lasiodermini is a tribe of death-watch and spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are at least 3 genera and 30 described species in Lasiodermini.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ptinini</span> Tribe of beetles

Ptinini is a tribe of spider beetles in the family Ptinidae. There are about 18 genera and at least 120 described species in Ptinini.

References

  1. "Niptus hololeucus (Faldermann, 1835) [Golden Spider Beetle]". NBN. 2012–2013. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  2. Bouchard, Patrice; Bousquet, Yves; Davies, Anthony E.; Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A.; et al. (2011). "Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)". ZooKeys (88). Pensoft Publishers: 1–972. Bibcode:2011ZooK...88....1B. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.88.807 . ISSN   1313-2989. PMC   3088472 . PMID   21594053.
  3. 1 2 "Golden spider beetle, Niptus hololeucus". PestWeb. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  4. Stephen D Smith; “Boozers, Ballcocks and Bail” (Wombwell, 1996), pp.14-15
  5. "Niptus hololeucus (Falderman, 1836)". 2016-07-25. Retrieved 2017-01-25.
  6. 1 2 Dashan, M.; Sadeghi, S; Bakhshi, Y.; Malek-Hosseini, M.J (2014). "First record and redescription of Niptus hololeucus (Faldermann, 1835) from Kangohar Cave (Coleoptera: Ptinidae)". Iranian Journal of Animal Biosystematics. 10 (2): 81–85.