Ptiliidae specimen 1
Title
Ptiliidae specimen 1
Taxonomic Order
Coleoptera
Taxonomic Family
Ptiliidae
Identified by
Chaya Arabia
Collected by
Chaya Arabia
Collection Date
November 11, 2014
Locality
Lewis & Clark College Campus
Collection Location
Copeland Ravine
County
Multnomah
Collection Method
Berlese Funnel
Substrate
Leaf litter
About this specimen
The smallest known beetle in the world can be found amongst fallen leaves in the Copeland Ravine. Named for their fringed hind-wings, the featherwing beetle can be as tiny as 0.3 mm, the same size as a grain of sand. At this small size, the air is too viscous to fly with average, membranous wings. It would be analogous to humans trying to walk in water. Instead, the featherwing beetle passively floats in the air in the same way that dandelion seeds drift.
Files
Collection
Citation
“Ptiliidae specimen 1,” Bio 212, accessed April 29, 2024, https://watzekdi.net/bio212/items/show/2.