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Photo#52102
Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella

Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella
New Hampshire, USA
May 13, 2006
Size: 0.85 - 0.9 mm
This is the tiniest beetle I've photographed thus far, and it looks to me like a ptiliid or Featherwinged Beetle, more elongate and obviously a different species from my previous postings. Although its short elytra and elongate body give it a resemblance to a tiny ro*ve beetle, the mouthparts on the wide head are downturned.

I noticed this beetle on some tissue I was removing from a rearing cubicle in which the larva had died and grown moldy. Although it appeared to be nothing more than a rather small, dark spring*tail, I got it under my loupe and realized it was a VERY small beetle, perhaps a personal record on the smallness scale.

I'm at a loss as to the original location of this beetle, although southern New Hampshire is a pretty safe bet. It's small enough to have easily traveled between rearing cubicles or to climb under the lid of the cubicle container after flying from elsewhere.

Images of this individual: tag all
Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella Featherwinged Beetle? - Ptinella

Ptiliidae
Yes. If one was to consult the American Beetles chapter, probably it could even be placed to genus through comparison with the many figures there.

 
Okay, I think this is Ptinella sp.
based on illustrations of dorsal habitus of the ptiliid genera. the pronotum is approximately as wide as the elytra and the head is nearly so whereas the only other similar short-elytra genus has a notably larger, wider pronotum with the head less than two-thirds the pronotal width.

 
Ptinella is
believable to me. That name came to mind (and is in NH), but I don't have my books at home, and I'm happy to let someone else become the ptiliid expert.

 
Thank you, Don.
I'll see if I can refine the ID of this one using American Beetles.

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