''Sinaspidytes'' is a
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial n ...
of aquatic
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
s in
Aspidytidae
Aspidytidae is a family of aquatic beetles of the suborder Adephaga, described in 2002 from specimens in South Africa and China. There are only two known species in the family and these were originally described in the genus '' Aspidytes,''Beute ...
, first recorded in 2003 from specimens in the
Shaanxi province, China. It is
monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispec ...
, with the only species being ''Sinaspidytes wrasei''. Originally this species was placed in the genus ''
Aspidytes
''Aspidytes'' is a genus of aquatic beetles in the family Aspidytidae, first recorded in 2002 from specimens in South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounde ...
with'' a second species from South Africa, but was later transferred to ''Sinaspidytes''.
The genus contains the single species ''S. wrasei.''
The aquatic beetle is 4.8 - 5.2 mm long and lives in hygropetric habitats.
[Beutel, R.G., Balke, M. & Ribera, I. (2016) 7.7. Aspidytidae Ribera,Beutel, Balke and Vogler, 2002. In: Beutel, R.G. & Leschen, R.A.B. (eds.): ''Handbook of Zoology, Arthropoda: Insecta. Coleoptera, Beetles. Vol. 1: Morphology and Systematics'' (Archostemata, Adephaga, Myxophaga, Polyphaga partim). 2nd Edition. Walter de Gruyter, Berlin. pp. 141-149.]
References
Adephaga
Monotypic Adephaga genera
{{Adephaga-stub