Ptinidae is a family of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the superfamily Bostrichoidea. There are at least 220 genera and 2,200 described species in Ptinidae worldwide. The family includes

spider beetle 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. Spider beetles have round bodies wi ...

s and

deathwatch beetle The deathwatch beetle (''Xestobium rufovillosum'') is a species of woodboring beetle that sometimes infests the structural timbers of old buildings. The adult beetle is brown and measures on average long. Eggs are laid in dark crevices in old w ...

s. The Ptinidae family species are hard to identify because they are so small, and they have a compact body structure. They also have similar morphologies within the genera and species of the family. There are three main groups in the superfamily Bostrichoidea:

Bostrichidae The Bostrichidae are a family of beetles with more than 700 described species. They are commonly called auger beetles, false powderpost beetles, or horned powderpost beetles. The head of most auger beetles cannot be seen from above, as it is down ...

, Anobiidae, and Ptinidae. These have undergone frequent changes in hierarchical classification since their inception. They have been treated as a single family, three independent families, the two families Bostrichidae and Anobiidae, or the two families Bostrichidae and Ptinidae. More recent literature treats these as the two families Bostrichidae and Ptinidae, with Anobiidae a subfamily of Ptinidae (

Anobiinae Anobiinae is a 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. The larvae of a number of spec ...

). Spider beetles are so named because they look like spiders. Some species have long legs, antennae that can seem like an additional pair of legs, and a body shape that may appear superficially like that of a spider. Deathwatch beetles are named because of a clicking noise that two (and possibly more) species tend to make in the walls of houses and other buildings. This clicking noise is designed to communicate with potential mates, but has historically caused fear of impending death during times of plague and sickness.

Pests

The larvae of a number of Ptinidae species tend to bore into wood, earning them the name "woodworm" or "wood borer". Several species are pests, causing damage to wooden furniture, house structures, tobacco, and dried food products. The deathwatch beetles ''

Xestobium rufovillosum The deathwatch beetle (''Xestobium rufovillosum'') is a species of woodboring beetle that sometimes infests the structural timbers of old buildings. The adult beetle is brown and measures on average long. Eggs are laid in dark crevices in old w ...

'', ''

Hemicoelus carinatus ''Hemicoelus carinatus'' is a species in the subfamily Anobiinae ("death-watch beetles"), in the order Coleoptera Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are harde ...

'', and '' Hemicoelus gibbicollis'' are economically significant pests, damaging flooring, joists, and other timber in housing. The "furniture beetle", '' Anobium punctatum'', is a species that is often found emerging from in-home wood furnishings. The "drugstore beetle", ''

Stegobium paniceum The drugstore beetle (''Stegobium paniceum''), also known as the bread beetle, biscuit beetle, and misnamed as the biscuit weevil (despite not being a true weevil), is a tiny, brown beetle that can be found infesting a wide variety of dried pla ...

'', is known to infest a variety of stored materials, including bread, flour, cereal, prescription drugs, strychnine powder, packaged foods, and even Egyptian tombs. The "Cigarette beetle," '' Lasioderma serricorne'', is a widespread and destructive pest of harvested and manufactured tobacco. Damage and economic losses from ''L. serricorne'' infestations were estimated by the USDA to be 0.7% of the total warehoused tobacco commodity in 1971.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Woodboring beetles Beetle families

Pests

See also

References

Further reading

External links