HomeGuideID RequestRecentFrassForumsDonateHelp

Clickable Guide

Calendar

Upcoming Events

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2018 gathering in Virginia, July 27-29

Previous events

TaxonomyBrowse

Info

ImagesLinksBooksData

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Bostrichoidea » Death-watch and Spider Beetles (Ptinidae)

Family Ptinidae - Death-watch and Spider Beetles

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Works Cited

Trigonogenius globulum Solier, 1849 - Trigonogenius globulus

Which beetle is this? - Vrilletta murrayi

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

Superfamily Bostrichoidea

Family Ptinidae (Death-watch and Spider Beetles)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Anobiidae Fleming 1821

Explanation of Names

Ptinidae Latreille 1802

from Ptinus

'Death-watch' from the ticking sound made by the beetles from within the timbers of old houses, interpreted as an omen of death(1)

Numbers

>400 spp. in 63 genera in our area, >2,200 spp. in ~230 genera worldwide, arranged into 10 subfamilies (all but one tiny neotropical subfamily represented in NA)(2)(3); ~100 species in 38 genera in Canada and Alaska(4)

Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)

Family Ptinidae

Subfamily Ptininae

Tribe Gnostini Gnostus

Tribe Gibbiini Gibbium

Tribe Meziini Mezium

Tribe Ptinini Epauloecus · Niptinus · Niptus · Pseudeurostus · Ptinus · Trigonogenius

Tribe Sphaericini Pitnus · Sphaericus

Subfamily Eucradinae

Tribe Eucradini Eucrada

Tribe Hedobiini Ptinomorphus · Neohedobia

Subfamily Dryophilinae Dryophilodes · *Ptilineurus

Subfamily Ernobiinae

Tribe Ernobiini Episernus · Ernobius · *Paralobium

Tribe Ozognathini Microzogus · Ozognathus · Xarifa

Tribe Xestobiini Utobium · Xestobium

Subfamily Anobiinae

Tribe Anobiini Anobium · Hemicoelus · Microbregma · Platybregmus

Tribe Colposternini Colposternus

Tribe Euceratocerini Actenobius · Ctenobium · Euceratocerus · Xeranobium

Tribe Gastrallini Gastrallus · Falsogastrallus

Tribe Hadrobregmini *Desmatogaster · Hadrobregmus · Priobium

Tribe Nicobiini Anobiopsis · Nicobium · Trichodesma

Tribe Stegobiini Oligomerus · Stegobium

Subfamily Ptilininae Ptilinus

Subfamily Xyletininae

Tribe Xyletinini Euvrilletta · Vrilletta · Xyletinus · Xyletomerus

Tribe Lasiodermini Lasioderma · Megorama

Subfamily Dorcatominae

Tribe Calymmaderini Calymmaderus

Tribe Cryptoramorpini Cryptoramorphus

Tribe Dorcatomini Byrrhodes · Caenocara · Dorcatoma

Tribe Petaliini Petalium

Tribe Prothecini Protheca · Sculptotheca · Stagetus · Stichtoptychus · Striatheca

Subfamily Mesocoelopodinae

Tribe Mesocoelopini Mesocoelopus

Tribe Tricorynini Cryptorama · Tricorynus

Size

1‒9 mm, usually <5 mm

Identification

hard-to-define group; no easy characters are found that apply to all

Wisconsin fauna treated in (5) • Key to NA genera in (6)(2)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA; for distribution of individual spp., see (7)

Food

Predominantly wood-borers as larvae; presumably this is the primal mode of life within the family. Adults and larvae of several species feed on a variety of dry plant (rarely: animal) materials, including dry dung, plant stems, dry fungi; some are considered pests of stored products (grain, cereals, tobacco), furniture, and museum specimens.

Works Cited

1.	The Century Dictionary: an encyclopedic lexicon of the English language

2.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

3.	Order Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758. In: Zhang Z.-Q. (ed.) Animal biodiversity: An outline of higher-level classification... Ślipiński S.A., Leschen R.A.B., Lawrence J.F. 2011. Zootaxa 3148: 203–208.

4.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

5.	Death-watch and spider beetles of Wisconsin—Coleoptera: Ptinidae Arango, R.A. and D.K. Young. 2012. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-209. Madison, WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.

6.	Key to North American genera of Anobiidae, with phylogenetic and synonymic notes (Coleoptera) Richard E. White. 1971. Annals of the Entomological Society of America, Vol. 64, Issue 1, pp. 179–191.

7.	A Catalog of the Coleoptera of America North of Mexico. Family: Anobiidae. White, R.E. 1982. USDA-ARS, Washington, DC. xi + 59 pp.

Contributed by Robin McLeod on 31 December, 2004 - 2:10pm
Additional contributions by cotinis, Phillip Harpootlian, Bbarnd, Chuck Entz, Mike Quinn, Boris Bueche, v belov, Edward Ruden
Last updated 9 March, 2024 - 4:36pm

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2025 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by:

Printer Friendly Version