British insects: the families of Coleoptera
British insects: the families of Coleoptera | |
~ Leiodidae-Platypsillinae p.p.
General appearance. 2–2.5 mm long. Body length/maximum body width 1.7–1.95. Elytral length/pronotal length 1.6–1.9. Base of prothorax not or scarcely narrower than the combined elytral bases. Greatest prothoracic width not narrower or only slightly narrower than the greatest elytral width. Beetles oval to elongate-oval; not necked; somewhat waisted; brownish orange. Upper surfaces of body non-glabrous (pubescent); not bristly; with neither scales nor scale-like setae.
Detailed morphology. Eyes absent (in British representatives). Antennae short to about half the insect's head to tail length; 11 segmented; filiform. Antennal insertions hidden from above. Mandibular prosthecae well developed. Pronotal length/maximum pronotal width 0.55–0.65. Prothorax without notopleural sutures. Metaventrite without a transverse groove. Tarsal segmentation formula 5, 5, 5. The tarsi exhibiting bilobed segments; without ‘hidden’ segments. Front tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Mid-leg tarsi 5-segmented; pentamerous. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi not appendaged. The claws of the mid-leg tarsi simple. Hind tarsi with as many segments as the mid-tarsi; 5-segmented. Elytral length/maximum width across the elytra 1–1.1. Elytra covering most to all of the abdomen; exposing no more than part of the terminal tergite to at least one but fewer than three complete abdominal tergites. Scutellary striole absent. Elytra non-glabrous. Wings absent or much reduced. Exposed abdominal sternites 6; all articulated and movable. Abdominal segment 8 with apparently functional spiracles.
Adult habitat, ecology. On shed fur or feathers (in rodents’ burrows and birds’ nests).
Larvae. Larvae in shed fur or feathers.
Classification. Suborder Polyphaga; Infraorder Staphyliniformia; Superfamily Staphilinoidea.
Worldwide and British representation. 3 species worldwide (or more?); genera 1 (Leptinus). 1 species in Britain (L. testaceus); genera in Britain 1; Leptinus.
General comments. Small beetles with long, slender antennae, completely lacking eyes; a northern hemisphere genus of few species, commensals with mammals.
Illustrations. • Leptinus testaceus (from Joy). Leptinus testaceus. • Leptinus testaceus, with Clambidae and Leiodidae: Fowler 3, 71 (1889). • Fowler 3, 71 (1889): original legend..
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Coleoptera. Version: 2nd January 2012. http://delta-intkey.com’.
