Nephanes titan

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Staphyliniformia
Superfamilia: Staphylinoidea

Familia: Ptiliidae
Subfamilia: Acrotrichinae
Tribus: Nephanini
Genus: Nephanes
Species: Nephanes titan
Synonyms (2): N. abbreviatella – N. curta
Name

Nephanes titan (Newman, 1834)
Placed on the Official List of Specific Names in Zoology by Melville (1985: 148), with the Name Number 2947

Combinations

Trichopteryx titan: original combination

References
Primary references

Melville, R.V. 1985: Opinion 1307. Ptinella Motschulsky, 1844 and Nephanes Thomson, 1859 (Insecta, Coleoptera): conserved. Bulletin of zoological nomenclature 42(2): 148–149. BHL Reference page.
Newman, E. 1834. Entomological notes (Continued from Vol. I., page 514.) Entomological magazine 2(2): 200–205. BHL Reference page. [first availability, see p. 201]

Additional references

Dybas, H.S. 1976: The larval characters of featherwing and limulodid beetles and their family relationships in the Staphylinoidea (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae and Limulodidae). Fieldiana: zoology 70(3): 29–78. DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.3048 Reference page. [description of larvae, see p. 57, and figs. 24-25]
Johnson, C. 1985. Revision of Ptiliidae (Coleoptera) occurring in the Mascarenes, Seychelles and neighbouring islands. Entomologica basiliensia 10: 159–237. Google books (Snippet view). Reference page. [See p. 219, and 'Figs 93-96'; description]
Presence of spermatophores in Nephanes titan (Newman) (Ptiliidae).

Selected links

Nephanes titan (Newman, 1834) (Ptiliidae) - photo by A.A. Polilov

Nephanes titan is a beetle from the Ptiliidae family of dwarf beetles. N. titan is notable for its exceptionally small body and simple nervous system. With an average maximum body length of only a few hundred micrometers, the beetle is one of the smallest non-parasitic insects in the world.[1][2]

Despite its minuscule nervous system, the beetle is still capable of associative learning.[1]
References

Polilov, Alexey A.; Makarova, Anastasia A.; Kolesnikova, Uliana K. (2018-11-30). "Cognitive abilities with a tiny brain: Neuronal structures and associative learning in the minute Nephanes titan (Coleoptera: Ptiliidae)". Arthropod Structure & Development. 48: 98–102. doi:10.1016/j.asd.2018.11.008. ISSN 1467-8039. PMID 30472324.
Polilov, Alexey A. (2016). At the Size Limit - Effects of Miniaturization in Insects. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-39499-2. ISBN 978-3-319-39497-8.