| Dienerella filum | |
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| Species: | D. filum |
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| Dienerella filum (Aubé, 1850) | |
Dienerella filum, the common plaster beetle, [1] is a species of fungus beetle in the family Latridiidae. It is found in damp conditions in buildings throughout the world, feeding on mould growing on the walls, and on poorly-stored products.
The adult common plaster beetle is between 1.2 and 1.6 mm (0.05 and 0.06 in) in length and brown in colour. The club at the tip of the antennae is formed from two segments which is in contrast to other members of the genus Dienerella which have a three-segmented club. The head has a suture along the midline, and the front half of the thoracic shield has a wide, fairly deep depression. There are no hind wings and this beetle cannot fly. The larva is whitish and reaches 1.7 and 2 mm (0.07 and 0.08 in) when fully grown and the pupa is cream-coloured and about 1 mm (0.04 in) long. [1]
The common plaster beetle has near cosmopolitan distribution and is the most common, house-infesting, member of its large family. It is typically found in old warehouses and cellars, places with damp and crumbling plaster, under loose wallpaper, around leaking water pipes and ill-fitting windows, in fact anywhere indoors affected by moulds, which form its main diet. The beetles often appear in houses that are being renovated and replastered, especially where wallpaper is applied to the wall before the new plaster has properly dried out. They usually take three to four months to appear, but occasionally may take a year. [1] It also infests improperly stored products such as mouldy bread, [1] grain, cereal products, dried fruit, dried herbs, yeast and herbarium specimens. [2] Hygiene problems in a hospital have been linked with infestations of Dienerella filum. [3]
The diet of the common plaster beetle consists of the hyphae and spores of moulds, and the spores of slime moulds. [4] The female beetle lays about twenty eggs during its life, singly in suitable spots. At 24 °C (75 °F) development may take about five weeks, but may take five months in colder environments. [1]
Forensic entomology is the scientific study of the colonization of a dead body by arthropods.This includes the study of insect types commonly associated with cadavers, their respective life cycles, their ecological presences in a given environment, as well as the changes in insect assemblage with the progression of decomposition. Insect succession patterns are identified based on the time a given species of insect spends in a given developmental stage, and how many generations have been produced since the insects introduction to a given food source. Insect development alongside environmental data such as temperature and vapor density, can be used to estimate the time since death, due to the fact that flying insects are attracted to a body immediately after death. The identification of postmortem interval to aid in death investigations is the primary scope of this scientific field. However, forensic entomology is not limited to homicides, it has also been used in cases of neglect and abuse, in toxicology contexts to detect the presence of drugs, and in dry shelf food contamination incidents. Equally, insect assemblages present on a body, can be used to approximate a given location, as certain insects may be unique to certain areas. Therefore, forensic entomology can be divided into three subfields: urban, stored-product and medico-legal/medico-criminal entomology.
Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are approximately 500 to 700 species worldwide. They can range in size from 1 to 12 mm. Key characteristics for adults are round oval shaped bodies covered in scales or setae. The usually clubbed antennae fit into deep grooves. The hind femora also fit into recesses of the coxa. Larvae are scarabaeiform and also have setae.
The oriental cockroach, also known as the waterbug or black cockroaches, is a large species of cockroach, adult males being 18–29 mm (0.71–1.14 in) and adult females being 20–27 mm (0.79–1.06 in). It is dark brown or black in color and has a glossy body. The female has a somewhat different appearance from the male, appearing to be wingless at a casual glance, but is brachypterous, having non-functional wings just below her head. She has a wider body than the male. The male has long wings, which cover three quarters of the abdomen and are brown in color, and has a narrower body. Both of them are flightless. The female oriental cockroach looks somewhat similar to the Florida woods cockroach and may be mistaken for it. Originally endemic to the Crimean Peninsula and the region around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, its distribution is now cosmopolitan.
The varied carpet beetle is a 3 mm-long beetle belonging to the family Dermestidae. They are a common species, often considered a pest of domestic houses and, particularly, natural history museums, where the larvae may damage natural fibers and can damage carpets, furniture, clothing, and insect collections. A. verbasci was also the first insect to be shown to have an annual behavioral rhythm and to date remains a classic example of circannual cycles in animals.
The khapra beetle, also called cabinet beetle, which originated in South Asia, is one of the world's most destructive pests of grain products and seeds. It is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. Infestations are difficult to control because of the insect's ability to survive without food for long periods, its preference for dry conditions and low-moisture food, and its resistance to many insecticides. There is a federal quarantine restricting the importation of rice into the U.S. from countries with known infestations of the beetle. Khapra beetle infestation can spoil otherwise valuable trade goods and threaten significant economic losses if introduced to a new area. Handling or consuming contaminated grain and seed products can lead to health issues such as skin irritation and gastrointestinal distress.
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.
Latridiidae is a family of tiny, little-known beetles commonly called minute brown scavenger beetles or fungus beetle. The number of described species currently stands at around 1050 in 29 genera but the number of species is undoubtedly much higher than this and increases each time a new estimate is made.
Oryzaephilus surinamensis, the sawtoothed grain beetle, is a beetle in the superfamily Cucujoidea. It is a common, worldwide pest of grain and grain products as well as chocolate, drugs, and tobacco. The species's binomial name, meaning "rice-lover from Surinam," was coined by Carl Linnaeus, who received specimens of the beetle from Surinam. It is also known as the malt beetle and may be referenced in the poem This Is The House That Jack Built in the line "....the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built" the malt referenced may not be actual malted grain but a sawtoothed grain beetle.
The foreign grain beetle is a species of beetle in the family Silvanidae. It is related to the sawtoothed grain beetle.
Home-stored product entomology is the study of insects which infest foodstuffs stored in the home. It deals with the prevention, detection and eradication of the pests. The five major categories of insects considered in this article are flour beetles, the drugstore beetle, the sawtoothed grain beetle, the Indianmeal moth and fruit flies.
The confused flour beetle, a type of darkling beetle known as a flour beetle, is a common pest insect known for attacking and infesting stored flour and grain. They are one of the most common and most destructive insect pests for grain and other food products stored in silos, warehouses, grocery stores, and homes.
Psocodea is a taxonomic group of insects comprising the bark lice, book lice and parasitic lice. It was formerly considered a superorder, but is now generally considered by entomologists as an order. Despite the greatly differing appearance of parasitic lice (Phthiraptera), they are believed to have evolved from within the former order Psocoptera, which contained the bark lice and book lice, now found to be paraphyletic. They are often regarded as the most primitive of the hemipteroids. Psocodea contains around 11,000 species, divided among four suborders and more than 70 families. They range in size from 1–10 millimetres (0.04–0.4 in) in length.
Integrated pest management in museums, libraries, archives and private collections is the practice of monitoring and managing pest and environmental information with pest control methods to prevent pest damage to collections and cultural property. Preserving cultural property is the ultimate goal for these institutions. The pests come in many different forms: insects, mites, rodents, bats, birds, and fungi and the two most common types are insects and fungi. It is widely recommended that every museum have some form of pest control in place and monitoring system to protect their collection and that museums review their storage and museum facilities to determine how to best control and prevent pest infestations while utilizing an Integrated Pest Management plan.
Palingeniidae is a family of mayflies, members of which are known as spiny-headed burrowing mayflies. These are generally quite large mayflies with more than four longitudinal cross-veins on their wings. Males have short, wide pronotums and the legs are well-developed in both sexes. The cerci (tails) on females are shorter than the body. The nymphs live burrowed in the mud at the bottom of large streams and rivers.
Dermestes ater is a species of beetle in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. It is known commonly as the black larder beetle or incinerator beetle. It is native to North America, but today it is found nearly worldwide. Like several other dermestid beetles, this species is a common pest of stored products.
Liposcelis is a genus of insects in the order Psocoptera, the booklice and barklice. There are about 126 species. Many species are associated with human habitation and several are well known as pests of stored products. The genus is distributed nearly worldwide.
Xyloterinus is a genus of typical bark beetles in the family Curculionidae. This is a monotypic genus and the one described species is Xyloterinus politus. It is native to North America where it infests both hardwood and softwood trees, as well as stacks of logs.
Trogoderma variabile, the warehouse beetle, is a species of carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae. It is found in Europe, Asia, Central America, North America and Oceania.
Euplatypus parallelus, previously known as Platypus parallelus, is a species of ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae. The adults and larvae form galleries in various species of tree and logs. It is native to Central and South America but has spread globally, is present in Africa and is well established in tropical Asia.
Amitermes floridensis, commonly known as the Florida darkwinged subterranean termite, is a species of eusocial insect in the family Termitidae. It feeds on rotting wood, reached by a network of tunnels. It is endemic to west central Florida and was first described in 1989.
Media related to Dienerella filum at Wikimedia Commons
Data related to Dienerella filum at Wikispecies