Dasytes plumbeus

Scientific profile

Dasytes plumbeus is a member of the Melyridae, the soft-winged flower beetles. Mean body length is 4.35 mm (literature value 4.05 mm) and mass 3.2 mg. The head measures 0.79 mm long by 0.73 mm wide, with small eyes (area 0.068 mm²). Antennae extend 1.27 mm. The pronotum is 0.73 mm long and 0.82 mm wide. Elytra are 2.92 mm long and 0.64 mm wide. The wings reach 4.46 mm in length and 1.69 mm in width, yielding a wing area of 5.86 mm² and a wing loading of 0.54; the aspect ratio is 2.64. Body roundness is 0.65 and overall colour is pale (lightness 122.77 out of 255). Hairiness varies: dorsal head 20.3, pronotum 22.0, dorsal abdomen 44.0, ventral abdomen 56.2, with a total score of 35.6. Limb segments are slender, and the species exhibits no sexual dimorphism (score 0.0). In Germany the Red List category is '* (not endangered)', but the population trend is assessed as strongly declining.