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Mila'sExotic Plants & CuriositiesA living collection by Luminary OdditiesLuminary Oddities · Natural history & art
Gibbium psylloides
Coleoptera / Ptinidae
Gibbium psylloides is a tiny flightless beetle with a glossy, rounded body and long, pale-haired appendages. It lives among dry organic materials and is associated with stored products and sheltered cavities in old buildings.
Read the species account
Gibbium psylloides is a spider beetle in Ptinidae. [4]
Adults are about 2–3.5 mm long. Smooth reddish-brown wing covers contrast with the pale-haired underside and legs; the long antennae have eleven segments. [1]
Eggs are laid near a food supply. The German account reports four larval instars and roughly three months from laying to pupation, with one annual generation or two in particularly warm rooms. [1]
Adults and larvae consume dry animal and plant materials, including grain, natural fibres, fruit and dead insects. [1]
Beetles and larvae are active at night. By day, adults shelter in groups within cracks and crevices. [1]
In old German timber-framed buildings, populations can occupy straw-filled structural cavities. Elevated material moisture can favour large local infestations. [1]
The species was described in 1778 and has appeared under the original combination Scotias psylloides. [2]
Keep the enclosure closed and display it in indirect light, away from heat and damp conditions. Handle the frame by its edges and clean only its exterior according to the maker’s instructions.
Umweltbundesamt, Germany; updated 24 September 2026 · Accessed 2026-10-13
Natural History Museum, London · Accessed 2026-10-13
Journal of Stored Products Research 21, 151–155 (1985) · Accessed 2026-10-13
GBIF Secretariat · Accessed 2026-10-13
Sources checked 2026-10-13. Illustrations · Luminary Oddities.
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