Ptinus fur

Ptinus fur, the whitemarked spider beetle, is a species of spider beetle in the genus Ptinus (family Ptinidae), with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution.[1]

Ptinus fur
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Arthropoda
Class:
Insecta
Order:
Coleoptera
Family:
Ptinidae
Genus:
Ptinus
Subgenus:
Ptinus (Ptinus)
Species:
P. fur
Binomial name
Ptinus fur
Synonyms
  • Cerambyx fur Linnaeus, 1758
  • Buprestis fur Scopoli, 1763

Description

Adults are morphologically similar to other spider beetle species, notably the hairy spider beetle (Ptinus villiger).[2] It is red-brown in colour with yellow hairs, and measures 2.0–4.3 millimetres (0.08–0.17 in) in length. The prothorax is densely covered with pale hairs, while the elytra bear some patches of white scales.[1]

Distribution and Habitat

It is a pest of stored foods,[2] with a worldwide distribution, where it may be identified through leaving webbed, granular materials on the stored products.[2] Ptinus fur adults feed on dried and decaying animal and vegetable material.[2][3] It has also been identified as a pest in museums, damaging stored collections.[3]

It has been found in the nests of birds, notably the Sand Martin.[4]

Life cycle

The optimum temperature for rapid development of Ptinus fur is about 23 °C, at which temperature it completes its development in a mean period of 132 days.[5] Larvae of P. fur normally moult three times at 23°Cm but some have an extra moult.[5]

Well defined diapause as mature larvae in cocoons occurs at low temperatures in some individuals of Ptinus fur: at 23 °C this lasts about 220 days after normal larvae have pupated; at 20 °C the period lasts about 280 days.[5]

The adult beetles live for several months.[5]

References
  1. "Insect Fact Sheet 12. Spider Beetles & Biscuit Beetles" (PDF). Salford City Council. Retrieved November 5, 2010.
  2. "Whitemarked spider beetle Ptinus fur (L.)". Canada Grain Commission, Government of Canada. 2013. Retrieved 2017-01-22.
  3. Chinery, M. 2012. Insects of Britain and Western Europe (Domino Guides), Revised Edition. London: Bloomsbury. pp 274.
  4. Kirstofik, J.; Sustek, Z. & Gajdos, P. (1994). "Arthropods in the nests of the Sand Martin (Riparia riparia Linnaeus, 1758) in South Slovakia". Biologia Bratislava.
  5. Howe, R. W. & Burges, H. D. (1951). "Studies on Beetles of the Family Ptinidae.* VI.—The Biology of Ptinus fur (L.) and P. sexpunctatus Panzer". Bulletin of Entomological Research. 42 (3): 499. doi:10.1017/S0007485300028893.


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.