Ptiliidae

Acrotrichis fascicularis, from here.

Belongs within: Staphylinoidea.
Contains: Ptiliini.

The Ptiliidae, featherwing beetles, are a group of very small beetles with narrow hindwings bearing long marginal hairs, believed to be adapted for passive flotation. Hindwings are absent in the ant-associated subfamily Cephaloplectinae which also lack eyes and have a limuloid body form. Other species are divided between the subfamilies Ptiliinae, in which the elytra are usually more or less complete, and the Acrotrichinae in which they are truncate or shortened (Hall 2001).

Characters (from Dybas 1990): Antennae usually slender, 11-segmented (occasionally 10-segmented); first two segments considerably enlarged; terminal two or three segments gradually or more abruptly enlarged to form loose club. Head capsule with gular sutures absent, posterior arms of tentorium attached on or near ventral rim of capsule. Wings (when present) with membrane very narrow, borne on single sclerotised stalk or two sclerotised basal struts, furnished with very long marginal hairs. Leg tarsi with only two or (indistinctly) three segments visible. Spermatheca usually well sclerotised, with distinctive pump apparatus.

Ptiliidae [Ptilidae, Trichopterygidae]
    |--Cephaloplectinae [Limulodidae, Limulodinae] B14
    |    |--Limulodes Matthews 1866 (see below for synonymy) H01
    |    |--Eulimulodes Mann 1926 H01
    |    |--Cephaloplectus Sharp 1883 H01
    |    |    `--C. mus (Mann 1926) B14
    |    |--Paralimulodes Bruch 1919 H01
    |    |    `--P. wasmanni H01
    |    `--Rodwayia Lea 1907 H01
    |         |--R. intercoxalis Lea 1919 L19
    |         |--R. minuta L19
    |         |--R. orientalis LB91
    |         `--R. ovata L19
    |--Acrotrichinae D90
    |    |--Smicrus Matthews 1872 H01
    |    |--Baeocrara Thomson 1859 H01
    |    |--Chirostirca Johnson 1985 H01
    |    |--Storicricha Johnson 1988 H01
    |    |--Ptiliopycna Casey 1924 H01
    |    |    `--P. moerens Matthews 1874 H01
    |    |--Nephanes Thomson 1859 [incl. Elachys Matthews 1860, Titan Matthews 1858, Zamenhofia Vuillet 1911] H01
    |    |    `--N. titan D90
    |    `--Acrotrichis Motschulsky 1848 (see below for synonymy) H01
    |         |--A. fascicularis D90
    |         |--A. godmani D90
    |         `--A. josephi (Matthews 1872) [incl. A. subcognata] E02
    `--Ptiliinae B14
         |  i. s.: Discheramocephalus brucei Grebennikov 2008 B14
         |--Ptiliini H01
         `--Nanosellini [Nanosellinae] H01
              |--Baranowskiella Sorensson 1997 H01
              |--Fijisella Hall 1999 H01
              |--Fijiselloides Hall 1999 H01
              |--Garicaphila Hall 1999 H01
              |--Isolumpia Deane 1931 H01
              |--Limulosella Hall 1999 H01
              |--Mikado Matthews 1889 H01
              |--Nellosana Johnson 1982 H01
              |--Nellosanoides Hall 1999 H01
              |--Nepalumpia Hall 1999 H01
              |--Paratuposa Deane 1931 H01
              |--Phililumpia Hall 1999 H01
              |--Scydosella Hall 1999 H01
              |--Scydoselloides Hall 1999 H01
              |--Tasmangarica Hall 1999 H01
              |--Throscidium Matthews 1872 H01
              |--Throscosana Hall 1999 H01
              |--Vitusella Hall 1999 H01
              |--Nanosella Motschulsky 1868 [incl. Mycophagus Friedenreich 1883] H01
              |    `--N. fungi (LeConte 1863) [=Ptilium fungi] H01
              |--Suterina Dybas 1980 (see below for synonymy) H01
              |    `--S. microcephala (Dybas 1961) H01
              |--Throscoptilium Barber 1924 H01
              |    `--T. duryi Barber 1924 H01
              |--Cylindrosella Barber 1924 H01
              |    `--C. dampfi Barber 1924 H01
              |--Hydnosella Dybas 1961 H01
              |    `--H. globitheca Dybas 1961 H01
              |--Porophila Dybas 1956 H01
              |    `--P. malkini Dybas 1956 H01
              |--Cylindroselloides Hall 1999 H01
              |    `--C. dybasi Hall 1999 H01
              `--Throscoptilioides Hall 1999 H01
                   `--T. norcoensis Hall 1999 H01

Acrotrichis Motschulsky 1848 [=Acratrichis (l. c.); incl. Capotrichis Johnson 1969, Cleopterium Gistel 1856, Cleopteryx Gistel 1857, Ctenopteryx Flach 1889, Flachiana Sundt 1969, Macdonaldium Abdullah & Abdullah 1967, Ptilopterium Gistel 1850, Trichopteryx Kirby & Spence 1826 non Huebner 1825] H01

Limulodes Matthews 1866 [incl. Carinolimulodes Seevers & Dybas 1943, Cephaloplectodes Seevers & Dybas 1943, Ecitolimulodes Seevers & Dybas 1943, Ecitoxenus Wasmann 1900, Idiolimulodes Seevers & Dybas 1943, Neolimulodes Seevers & Dybas 1943] H01

Suterina Dybas 1980 [incl. Suterella Dybas 1961 nec Suterella Iredale 1915 nec Carmichaelia subg. Suterella Simpson 1945 (ICBN)] H01

*Type species of generic name indicated

REFERENCES

[B14] Bouchard, P. (ed.) 2014. The Book of Beetles: A lifesize guide to six hundred of nature's gems. Ivy Press: Lewes (United Kingdom).

[D90] Dybas, H. S. 1990. Insecta: Coleoptera Ptiliidae. In: Dindal, D. L. (ed.) Soil Biology Guide pp. 1093–1112. John Wiley & Sones: New York.

[E02] Emberson, R. M. 2002. The beetle (Coleoptera) fauna of the Chatham Islands: additions and corrections. New Zealand Entomologist 25: 69–77.

[H01] Hall, W. E. 2001. Ptiliidae Erichson, 1845. In: Arnett, R. H., Jr & M. C. Thomas (eds) American Beetles vol. 1. Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia pp. 233–246. CRC Press: Boca Raton.

[LB91] Lawrence, J. F., & E. B. Britton. 1991. Coleoptera (beetles). In: CSIRO. The Insects of Australia: A textbook for students and research workers 2^nd ed. vol. 2 pp. 543–683. Melbourne University Press: Carlton (Victoria).

[L19] Lea, A. M. 1919. Notes on some miscellaneous Coleoptera with descriptions of new species.—Part V. Transactions of the Royal Society of South Australia 43: 166–261, pls 25–27.

Last updated: 13 December 2020.