Explanation of Names
DERMESTES: from the Greek "derma" (skin) + the Latin "este" (eat; consume); members of this genus feed on the skin of dead animals
Numbers
Nearctica.com lists 23 species in genus for North America.
Identification
body elongate-oval; head, pronotum, and elytra dark brown, grayish, or blackish, with or without pale markings; underside of abdomen and thorax dark, or mostly white, or dark with white markings
- D. ater: scutellum dark, showing no contrast against elytra
- D. caninus: broad band of pale hairs across elytra near base, and thin band near apex
- D. frischii: top of head and anterior & lateral margins of pronotum with pale yellowish hairs; central portion and posterior margin of pronotum dark
- D. maculatus: scutellum yellowish-brown to reddish-brown; pronotum and elytra with uniformly-colored whitish or pale yellowish hairs
- D. marmoratus: basal half of elytra with large pale patch extending from costa half-way to midline
- D. talpinus: scutellum whitish or pale yellow; pronotum and elytra with a mix of reddish-brown and pale bluish-gray hairs, more densely haired than D. maculatus
(see links to images in Internet References section below)
Habitat
on dead animals and sometimes stored foods
Food
larvae and adults feed on the skin of dead animals, and stored foods
Internet References
Photos of Dermestes species and other info from Ken Gray Collection (Oregon State U.)
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D. marmoratus (
adult), (
larva)
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D. talpinus (
adult 1), (
adult 2)
Photos of some Dermestes species that occur in North America (Andreas Herrmann, Germany)
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D. caninus (
adult male)
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D. lardarius (
adult male)
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D. talpinus (
adult female)
pinned adult images of
D. talpinus (Insects of Cedar Creek, Minnesota)
