Dermestes

Last updated

Contents

Dermestes
Temporal range: Palaeogene–present
Dermestes lardarius - top (aka).jpg
D. lardarius
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Dermestidae
Subfamily: Dermestinae
Tribe: Dermestini
Genus: Dermestes
Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Dermestes lardarius
Linnaeus, 1758
Dermestes haemorrhoidalis Dermestes haemorrhoidalis.jpg
Dermestes haemorrhoidalis
Dermestes maculatus Dermestes maculatus DeGeer, 1774.jpg
Dermestes maculatus

Dermestes is a genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. The genus is distributed worldwide. [1]

The larvae of these beetles feed on dead and dried animal material, including dead bodies, dried meat and fish, and body parts such as bone, hair, skin, and feathers. They are cannibalistic on occasion. They are pests of museums, where they feed on specimens such as dried insects and stuffed animals. They may be useful in museum settings as well, where they are used in facilities called dermestaria to clean tissue from skeletons. [2] Some species may play a role in forensic entomology when they are found on human corpses. [1] [2]

As of 2013 there are about 92 species. [3]

Species

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dermestidae</span> Family of beetles

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 over 1,800 species described.

<i>Cantharis</i> Genus of beetles

Cantharis is a large genus of soldier beetles in the family Cantharidae with narrow and soft elytra.

<i>Anthrenus</i> Genus of beetles

Anthrenus is a genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. One of several genera of carpet beetles, Anthrenus was historically placed in a subfamily Anthreninae, though presently included in the Megatominae. The genus Neoanthrenus is closely related.

<i>Gyrinus</i> Genus of beetles

Gyrinus is a genus of small aquatic whirligig beetles in the family Gyrinidae native to the Palearctic, the Near East, the Nearctic, North Africa, Asia and Australia.

<i>Trogoderma</i> Genus of beetles

Trogoderma is a genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. There are about 135 species worldwide.

<i>Cymindis</i> Genus of beetles

Cymindis is a genus of ground beetle native to the Palearctic, the Near East, and North Africa. It contains the following species:

<i>Attagenus</i> Genus of beetles

Attagenus is a genus of beetles. This genus is found in tropical Africa, the Palearctic including Europe, the Near East, the Nearctic, North Africa and East Asia. There are nearly 200 species. The genus has existed for at least 99 million years, with fossils known from the Cenomanian aged Burmese amber and Turonian aged New Jersey amber.

<i>Globicornis</i> Genus of beetles

Globicornis is a genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. They are distributed throughout the world.

<i>Trinodes</i> Genus of beetles

Trinodes is a genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, the skin beetles. The genus is distributed in the Palearctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical realms. There are about 16 species.

<i>Julodis</i> Genus of beetles

Julodis is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae.

<i>Saperda</i> Genus of beetles

Saperda is a genus of flat-faced longhorn beetles belonging to the family Cerambycidae, subfamily Lamiinae. The genus was erected by Johan Christian Fabricius in 1775.

<i>Carpophilus</i> Genus of beetles

Carpophilus is a genus of sap beetles. Several species are agricultural pests, typically causing feeding damage to a variety of fruits, grains and other food products worldwide. The genus contains a great number of species.

<i>Cercyon</i> (beetle) Genus of beetles

Cercyon is a genus of water scavenger beetles in the family Hydrophilidae. There are at least 50 described species in Cercyon.

<i>Selatosomus</i> Genus of beetles

Selatosomus is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Elateridae. The species of this genus are found in Europe, Japan, southern Africa and North America, and most of the species were formerly included in the genus Ctenicera.

References

  1. 1 2 Magni, P. A., et al. (2015). A biological and procedural review of forensically significant Dermestes species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 52(5), 755-769.
  2. 1 2 Dermestes maculatus De Geer, 1774. Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine Pest Insects of our Cultural Heritage.
  3. 1 2 Herrmann, A. and Háva, J. (2013). A new species of the genus Dermestes Linnaeus, 1758 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) from South America. Studies and Reports, Taxonomical Series, 9(2), 375-378.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.