Retrogressive-molting
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Trogoderma glabrum
glabrous cabinet beetle, colored cabinet beetle
Trogoderma glabrum is a dermestid beetle known for its unusual developmental plasticity. Under optimal conditions, it completes its life cycle in approximately eight weeks, but when deprived of food, large larvae can extend their lifespan to over two years through a process of 'retrogressive molting'—molting backwards into progressively smaller stages rather than progressing toward pupation. This species is a pest of stored products and has been documented in Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. Females exhibit circadian-regulated sex pheromone release behavior synchronized to photoperiod.