Museum-pest
Guides
Anthrenus coloratus
Asian carpet beetle
Anthrenus coloratus is a small beetle species in the family Dermestidae, commonly known as the Asian carpet beetle. It has been documented as a pest of entomological collections, where it damages dried insect specimens. The species has a broad geographic distribution spanning Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, and has been introduced to Ecuador.
Anthrenus flavipes
furniture carpet beetle
Anthrenus flavipes is a small dermestid beetle known as the furniture carpet beetle. Adults are 2–3.5 mm long, black with variable white and yellow mottling, and have rounded or oval body scales that distinguish them from related carpet beetles. The species has a cosmopolitan distribution and is a significant pest of household materials, particularly upholstered furniture, carpets, and textiles. Larvae are responsible for damage, feeding on keratin-containing materials including wool, hair, feathers, and silk.
Anthrenus lepidus
Anthrenus lepidus is a species of carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae. It is a small beetle found in North America, with adults measuring 2-4 mm in length. Like other members of the genus Anthrenus, it is a household pest whose larvae feed on dried animal products including wool, silk, feathers, and keratin-based materials. The species is part of a group of cosmopolitan pests that have spread worldwide through international commerce.
Anthrenus museorum
museum beetle
Anthrenus museorum is a small dermestid beetle commonly known as the museum beetle. Adults measure 2–4 mm with round bodies and dark elytra bearing bright colored spots. The larval stage is the primary damaging form, feeding on dry animal materials including skin, hair, feathers, and occasionally dry food products like cheese, flour, or cocoa. The species is native to Europe and has become globally distributed through commercial trade, now occurring across the Palearctic, Near East, Nearctic, and other regions including China and Australia. It is a significant pest in museums, where larvae damage taxidermy specimens and insect collections.
Anthrenus pimpinellae
Anthrenus pimpinellae is a small carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae, native to the Palaearctic region but introduced to North America. Adults measure 3–4 mm and have black elytra with white and brown scales. The species exhibits selective flower-feeding behavior, with mating occurring exclusively on preferred floral hosts. Larvae feed on dried animal products including keratin-containing materials.
Anthrenus scrophulariae
common carpet beetle, buffalo carpet beetle
Anthrenus scrophulariae is a small dermestid beetle native to the Palaearctic region that has become cosmopolitan through human commerce. Adults feed on pollen and nectar, particularly from white or whitish flowers, while larvae are destructive pests of animal-derived materials including carpets, woolens, furs, and museum specimens. The species is notable for its distinctive patterned elytra with black, orange, and white scales that wear away with age, and for the medical irritation its larval hairs can cause in sensitive individuals.
Anthrenus verbasci
Varied Carpet Beetle
Anthrenus verbasci is a cosmopolitan pest species in the family Dermestidae, commonly known as the varied carpet beetle. Adults are small (2–4 mm), rounded beetles with distinctive patterned elytra bearing bands or spots of brown, black, and white scales. Larvae are covered in dense setae and feed on dried proteinaceous material, causing damage to household items, museum collections, and stored agricultural products. The species exhibits circannual control of its life cycle, with photoperiod serving as the primary zeitgeber for synchronizing pupation and adult emergence in spring. Adults feed on pollen and nectar, particularly from umbelliferous plants (Apiaceae) and Asteraceae, and use both olfaction and vision in host plant selection.
Attagenus smirnovi
Brown Carpet Beetle, Vodka Beetle
Attagenus smirnovi is a synanthropic dermestid beetle commonly known as the brown carpet beetle. Native to Africa, it has established populations across Central and Northern Europe through human-mediated dispersal. The species is a significant pest of museum collections and households, feeding on keratin-based materials including wool textiles, carpets, fur, and skin. First described by Rustem Devletovich Zhantiev in 1973, it was named after E.S. Smirnov, who first observed it in Moscow in 1961.
Ctenolepisma
Ctenolepisma is a genus of primitive wingless insects in the order Zygentoma, family Lepismatidae. The genus comprises approximately 75 extant species distributed nearly worldwide in warm regions, with some species occurring both indoors and outdoors while others are found exclusively in natural habitats. Unlike the closely related silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) and firebrat (Thermobia domestica), many Ctenolepisma species are less dependent on human habitation. Australia lacks native species but hosts introduced populations. The genus has undergone taxonomic revision, with ICZN Opinion 2427 (2018) establishing the neuter gender of Lepisma and related genera, resulting in species epithet changes such as Ctenolepisma longicaudatum (formerly longicaudata).
Dermestes
skin beetles, hide beetles, larder beetles
Dermestes is a globally distributed genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, comprising approximately 92 species. These beetles are specialized scavengers of dead and dried animal material, with larvae feeding on carrion, dried meat and fish, bone, hair, skin, and feathers. The genus has significant economic and forensic importance: larvae are destructive pests of museum specimens and stored products, yet are also deliberately employed to clean flesh from skeletons in taxidermy and forensic contexts. Some species assist in estimating postmortem intervals in criminal investigations.
Dermestes lardarius
larder beetle, moisture bug, bacon beetle
Dermestes lardarius, commonly known as the larder beetle or bacon beetle, is a cosmopolitan pest of stored animal products. Adults measure 7–9 mm and are distinguished by a broad yellowish band with three black dots across dark brown elytra. The species completes its life cycle in 40–50 days under optimal conditions but typically produces one generation per year. Both larvae and adults feed on dried meats, pet food, hides, feathers, cheese, and museum specimens.
Dermestes maculatus
hide beetle, skin beetle, flesh-eating beetle
Dermestes maculatus is a cosmopolitan hide beetle with worldwide distribution on all continents except Antarctica. Adults are 5.5–10 mm, black with distinctive white hair bands on the pronotum. The species is a specialized decomposer of dry animal tissues, with physiological adaptations enabling survival on desiccated carrion where competitors fail. It holds significant forensic value for estimating postmortem intervals and is widely used by museums and universities for skeleton preparation. Larvae are densely setose with paired urogomphi on the terminal segment.
Hofmannophila pseudospretella
Brown House Moth, Samenmotte (German)
A cosmopolitan pest moth of stored products and dwellings. Larvae feed on keratinous materials including wool, fur, and feathers, as well as dried plant matter. Adults are nocturnal and exhibit complex sexual behavior involving pheromone-mediated mate location. The species is the sole member of its genus, though its distinctness from related genera remains under study.
Limothrips
Grain thrips, Barley thrips
Limothrips is a genus of thrips in the family Thripidae comprising six recognized species. The genus includes significant agricultural pests, particularly Limothrips cerealium (grain thrips) and Limothrips denticornis (barley thrips), which feed on cereals and grasses. Species exhibit wing dimorphism, with both winged (macropterous) and wingless (apterous) forms documented. Several species have been documented as crop pests causing reduced seed set in wheat, oats, and barley.
Limothrips denticornis
barley thrips
Limothrips denticornis is a grass-dwelling thrips species with a Holarctic distribution. It is primarily associated with cereal crops, particularly spring barley, where females deposit eggs within leaf sheaths during inflorescence emergence. The species has been documented as an incidental nest parasite of birds and mammals, entering nests passively on grass nest materials. It has been recorded in museum environments as a secondary pest associated with damaged artworks.
Megaselia scalaris
Scaled Hump-backed Fly, scuttle fly, coffin fly, humpbacked fly, laboratory fly
Megaselia scalaris is a small phorid fly, approximately 2–3 mm in length, widely distributed in warm regions globally. It is one of the most commonly encountered species in the family Phoridae, particularly in urban environments. The species exhibits remarkable ecological flexibility, functioning as a decomposer, facultative parasitoid, and forensic indicator. Adults display characteristic jerky running behavior, earning the common name "scuttle fly." The species has been documented in diverse contexts including coffins, decomposing carrion, termite mounds, social wasp nests, and deteriorating museum specimens.
Mezium affine
shiny spider beetle, northern spider beetle, hood spider beetle
Mezium affine is a small beetle species in the family Ptinidae, commonly known as the shiny spider beetle or northern spider beetle. It is widely distributed across the Northern Hemisphere and has been introduced to Australia. The species is notable for its highly convex, oval body shape that gives it a spider-like appearance, and its larvae are significant pests of stored food products and organic materials.
Mezium americanum
American spider beetle, black spider beetle
Mezium americanum, commonly known as the American spider beetle or black spider beetle, is a small stored-product pest in the family Ptinidae. Adults measure 1.5–3.5 mm and are recognized by their rounded abdomens, long slender legs, and glossy black or reddish elytra contrasting with a dull yellow hairy body. The species has a cosmopolitan distribution and is considered exotic in Australia. It is frequently mistaken for spiders or mites due to its distinctive body shape.
Necrobia
Ham Beetles
Necrobia is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, commonly known as ham beetles. Unlike most clerids, which are predatory, Necrobia species are carrion-feeders and significant pests of stored animal products. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and includes species frequently encountered on dried meat, fish, and museum specimens.
Ptinus fur
white-marked spider beetle, whitemarked spider beetle
Ptinus fur is a small stored-product pest beetle with a nearly cosmopolitan distribution. Adults measure 2.0–4.3 mm and are distinguished by red-brown coloration with yellow hairs, dense pale hairs on the prothorax, and patches of white scales on the elytra. The species is morphologically similar to Ptinus villiger. It develops optimally at 23°C, completing its life cycle in approximately 132 days on fishmeal. Larval diapause in cocoons can extend development by 220–280 days. The species is unlikely to reach large population sizes due to its long development period, small egg output (mean 38.6 eggs per female), and tendency for diapause.
Ptinus tectus
Australian spider beetle
Ptinus tectus is a small beetle commonly known as the Australian spider beetle. It is a cosmopolitan stored product pest that originated in Australia and spread to Europe and the UK around 1900. The species is notable for its spider-like appearance and its status as a significant pest of stored foods, museum specimens, and historic collections. It has been recorded from at least 55 museums and historic houses in the United Kingdom.
Reesa
Reesa is a monotypic genus of skin beetles (Dermestidae) established by Beal in 1967. The sole species, Reesa vespulae, is a small beetle native to North America that has become a widespread invasive pest of heritage collections and stored products. The species is obligately parthenogenetic—only females are known—and can establish populations from a single individual. Genetic research suggests close relationship to Trogoderma angustum and South American species, with some authors proposing merger into Eurhopalus, though this remains disputed.
Reesa vespulae
Undertaker Carpet Beetle
Reesa vespulae is a small parthenogenetic dermestid beetle native to North America that has become a cosmopolitan pest of heritage collections and stored products. The species spreads globally through human commerce and can establish populations from a single female due to obligate parthenogenesis. It poses significant threats to museums, herbaria, and entomological collections, with larvae showing particular preference for Coleoptera and Lepidoptera specimens.
Stegobium paniceum
Drugstore Beetle, Bread Beetle, Biscuit Beetle
Stegobium paniceum, commonly known as the drugstore beetle or biscuit beetle, is a small stored-product pest that infests a wide variety of dried plant materials. It is the sole member of the monotypic genus Stegobium. The beetle is notable for its ability to feed on toxic substances including strychnine, tobacco, and habanero peppers, and is a significant pest in homes, warehouses, museums, and the tobacco industry. Adults are attracted to ultraviolet light and females emit sex pheromones that peak 3-4 days after emergence. The species harbors yeast-like symbionts (Symbiotaphrina) that provide nutritional supplementation.
Tineola bisselliella
webbing clothes moth, common clothes moth, clothing moth
Tineola bisselliella is a small moth in the family Tineidae, notable as a significant pest of stored wool and natural fibers. Adults are 6–7 mm in body length with a 9–16 mm wingspan, characterized by pale yellowish-ochreous forewings and a distinctive red-orange tuft of hair on the head. The species is synanthropic, now rarely found outside human dwellings. Larvae possess the unusual ability to digest keratin, enabling them to feed on wool, silk, fur, and other animal-derived materials. Adults do not feed and have atrophied mouthparts; all damage is caused by larval feeding.