Other Common Names
Dermestid Beetles
also includes Skin Beetles and Larder Beetles
Explanation of Names
Author of family is
Latreille, 1804. DERMESTIDAE: from the Greek "derma" (skin) + the Latin "este" (eat; consume); a reference to family members that feed on the skin of dead animals
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists 122 species in 17 genera in North America.
Identification
Adult: body convex, oval, or elongate-oval with hairs or scales; elytra usually dark with or without pale markings; antennae clubbed
Larva: light brown and covered with long hairs and hair tufts
Habitat
larvae and adults found on carcasses of animals, insect collections, in homes and buildings with stored food
adults also found on flowers of trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants
Season
all year indoors; spring through fall outdoors
Food
larvae and adults feed on the skin and flesh of dead animals, including museum specimens of vertebrates and invertebrates, and will also eat any organic material (fresh or dried foods, woolen and silk products, rugs, etc.)
adults of some species also feed on the pollen of flowering plants
Remarks
Thank you, John Kingsolver!
The author of the Dermestidae chapter in
American Beetles, John M. Kingsolver, looked through our unidentified Dermestidae in early February, 2007 and identified many to the extent possible working from photos. He is currently an associate curator at the Florida State Arthropod Collection in Gainsville.
(Comment by
Jim McClarin, 8 February, 2007)
Print References
American Beetles, Vol. 2, Chapter 68
(1)Internet References
Dermestidae.com - pinned adult photos of dermestids from around the world, including many North American species (Andreas Herrmann, Germany)
clickable thumbnail images of larvae and adult dermestids (Ken Gray, Oregon State U.)
