Beaver beetle
| Beaver beetle | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Infraorder: | Staphyliniformia |
| Superfamily: | Staphylinoidea |
| Family: | Leiodidae |
| Subfamily: | Platypsyllinae |
| Genus: | Platypsyllus Ritsema, 1869 |
| Species: | P. castoris |
| Binomial name | |
| Platypsyllus castoris Ritsema, 1869 | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Platypsyllus castorinus Westwood, 1869 | |
The beaver beetle (Platypsyllus castoris) is an ectoparasitic beetle that is only found on its host species, beavers, and the sole member of the genus Platypsyllus. It is flattened and eyeless, resembling a flea or tick. It used to be placed in a separate family called Leptinidae, but is now placed in the family Leiodidae, in the subfamily Platypsyllinae.