| Kermes vermilio | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Hemiptera |
| Suborder: | Sternorrhyncha |
| Family: | Kermesidae |
| Genus: | Kermes |
| Species: | K. vermilio |
| Binomial name | |
| Kermes vermilio Planchon, 1864 | |
Kermes vermilio is a species of Kermes that feeds on trees. Some of the species are used by humans to make vermilion; though a mineral form used in many cultures and discovered at a similar time is cinnabar (crystallized HgS, mercury sulfide). [1]
The word (and dye) crimson is a corruption-derivative of kermes – the organism's genus, chiefly referring to its other species. [2]