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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Bostrichoidea » Death-watch and Spider Beetles (Ptinidae) » Death-watch Beetles (Anobiinae) » Stegobiini » Stegobium » Drugstore Beetle (Stegobium paniceum)

Species Stegobium paniceum - Drugstore Beetle

Classification · Other Common Names · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited
Tiny red beetle - Stegobium paniceum Drugstore Beetle - Stegobium paniceum Drugstore Beetle - Stegobium paniceum Beetle - Stegobium paniceum Mexican chile beetles - Stegobium paniceum Drugstore Beetle - Stegobium paniceum 9081965 beetle - Stegobium paniceum DW 3 - Stegobium paniceum
Classification
Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
Superfamily Bostrichoidea
Family Ptinidae (Death-watch and Spider Beetles)
Subfamily Anobiinae (Death-watch Beetles)
Tribe Stegobiini
Genus Stegobium
Species paniceum (Drugstore Beetle)
Other Common Names
Biscuit Beetle (in Europe)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes
Sitodrepa panicea
Explanation of Names
Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus 1758)
paniceum = 'of bread'
Size
adult 2.2-3.5 mm(1)
Identification
antennae have a loose 3-segmented club, and elytral striae marked by distinct punctures(2)
Range
e. NA and CA to AK - Map (3), cosmopolitan(2), adventive in the New World(4) (probably of so. African origin); more abundant in warm regions or in heated buildings in temperate climates
Habitat
homes and other buildings containing processed and packaged food products or museum/herbarium specimens
Season
year-round indoors
Food
larvae feed on a very wide variety of materials of vegetable and animal origin (incl. drugs poisonous to humans, spices, tobacco, leather, wood, textiles...), may attack dried plant collections, old books, and paper; adults do not feed(2)
Life Cycle
larvae tunnel into substrate (4-6 instars in 4-20 weeks); pupation period 12-18 days; adult female lives 13-65 days; life cycle 2-7 months[Cite:185010]; 3-4 generations per year(1)
Remarks
attacked by predators such as Tenebroides (Trogossitidae), Thaneroclerus (Cleridae), several carabids, and a number of parasitoid wasps (Pteromalidae, Eurytomidae, Bethylidae); eggs may be eaten by predatory mites[Cite:185010]
See Also
Cigarette Beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) has serrated antennae and smooth elytra, and its larvae have longer hairs
Internet References
Featured Creatures - Cabrera (2007)
Works Cited
1.Handbook of urban insects and arachnids: A handbook of urban entomology
Robinson W.H. 2005. Cambridge University Press.
2.Beetles associated with stored products in Canada: An identification guide
Bousquet Y. 1990. Research Branch Agriculture Canada, Publication 1837.
3.Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)
4.Bousquet Y., ed. (1991) Checklist of the beetles of Canada and Alaska
Contributed by Robin McLeod on 3 January, 2006 - 1:34am
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn, Boris Bueche, v belov, Harsi S. Parker
Last updated 17 November, 2023 - 4:37pm

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