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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Bostrichoidea » Carpet Beetles (Dermestidae) » Anthrenini » Carpet Beetles (Anthrenus)

Genus Anthrenus - Carpet Beetles

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Print References · Works Cited
Carpet Beetle - Anthrenus parvus Coleoptera - Anthrenus verbasci Light form (my terminology) - Anthrenus lepidus from flowers - Anthrenus lepidus Anthrenus verbasci in Alyssum - Anthrenus verbasci Varied Carpet Beetle - Anthrenus verbasci Small Larvae - Anthrenus Anthrenus? Maybe A. castaneae? - Anthrenus
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
Superfamily Bostrichoidea
Family Dermestidae (Carpet Beetles)
Tribe Anthrenini
Genus Anthrenus (Carpet Beetles)
Explanation of Names
Anthrenus Geoffroy 1762
Numbers
18 spp. (incl. several adventive) in our area(1), ~200 total(2)
Size
1.8‒4 mm(3)
Identification
Broad body covered with colored scales that often form patterns(3) (scale colour and distribution variable, but often diagnostic)
Range
most spp. in semiarid regions of Eurasia and Africa; those found indoors are cosmopolitan(2)
the species not yet in the guide are mostly western and recently described:
A. omoi Beal 1998 (AZ)
A. pulaskii Kadej 2011 (CA)
A. umbra Beal 1998 (AZ)
A. chiton Beal 1998 (CA‒TX)
A. fucosus Beal 1998 (AZ)
A. blanci Beal 1998 (BC‒CA)
Habitat
In the wild, abandoned nests of birds/mammals or old wasp nests; some spp. are common household pests. Adults frequent flowers.
Season
Adults mainly occur in spring (year round indoors)
Food
larvae scavenge on accumulated fur, feathers, skin flakes, dead insects, etc. keratine- or chitin-rich materials; adults feed on pollen on flowers
Typical materials consumed indoors include dry pet food, wool/fur articles, hair and skin flakes shed by people/pets and accumulated in the corners
Life Cycle
Larva Pupa Adult emerging Adult
Remarks
larvae may cause considerable damage on wool, fur, feathers, and natural history collections.
Control can be achieved by keeping your home free of accumulated hair and dust (dust is mostly shed skin flakes of people and pets), discarding infested items and properly storing vulnerable items. Store dry foods in glass or metal containers with tight-fitting lids. Store woolens, furs, silks in cedar chests. Mothballs and moth crystals are ineffective or carcinogenic.
See Also
Anthrenocerus australis (Australian Carpet Beetle) is similar, but dorsum with hairs rather than scales(4); even more destructive on wool
Print References
(5)
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.Háva J. (2018) World catalogue of the Dermestidae
3.Peterson Field Guides: Beetles
Richard E. White. 1983. Houghton Mifflin Company.
4.PaDIL – High quality images and information tools designed for Biosecurity and Biodiversity
5.A new species of Anthrenus Geoffroy, 1762 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) from California, with a key to the Nearctic species
Marcin Kadej. 2011. The Coleopterists Bulletin 65(3):309-314.
Contributed by Mike Boone on 12 February, 2005 - 8:03pm
Additional contributions by Bug Eric, Beatriz Moisset, Bbarnd, Boris Bueche, v belov, onegunah
Last updated 15 November, 2023 - 6:56pm

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