Kingdom Animalia Order Coleoptera Genus Baranowskiella Higher classification Baranowskiella | Phylum Arthropoda Family Ptiliidae Scientific name Baranowskiella ehnstromi Rank Species | |
Similar Beetle, Ptiliidae, Insect, Nanosellini, Nephanes | ||
Baranowskiella ehnstromi is the smallest known beetle in Europe. It lives only in the pores of the bracket fungus Phellinus conchatus, which grows on Salix caprea. Its length is ca. 0.45 millimetres (0.018 in) to 0.55 millimetres (0.022 in) and its width about 0.1 millimetres (0.0039 in).
The beetle has been observed in Sweden, Finland, Austria and in the Czech Republic. It was first described, along with the whole genus Baranowskiella, in 1997 by Ptiliidae specialist Mikael Sörensson and named after entomologists Rickard Baranowski and Bengt Ehnström. The beetle has a simple sound producing organ. It can fly and its diet consists of fungi spores.
References
Baranowskiella ehnstromi Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA