Scientific name Anthrenus museorum Rank Species | Subgenus Anthrenus (Florilinus) Higher classification Anthrenus | |
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Similar Anthrenus, beetle, Insect, Dermestidae, Anthrenus scrophulariae | ||
Anthrenus museorum anthrenus verbasci anthrenus scrophulariae larva
Anthrenus museorum, commonly known as the museum beetle, is a species of beetle found in the Palearctic (including Europe), the Near East and the Nearctic. In its larval form it damages all forms of dry skin and hair. The larva will also eat dry cheese, flour or cocoa occasionally. It is a considered a pest, as it damages, among other, the skin of taxidermy, such as in museums.
Contents
The larva is yellowish, hairy, and measures 4.5 millimetres (0.18 in). The dorsal surface of the prothorax is brownish. At its rear end, it has three pairs of long antenna. The adult measures 2 to 4 mm. It has a round shape and its dark elytra are spotted with bright colors. It lives for one or two weeks, outdoors, on plants. It prefers the flowers of Asteraceae, Apiaceae and Scrophulariaceae. To lay eggs, the female seeks nooks, carpets, flooring or wool to hide and to assure a food supply for the larvae. She lays forty eggs at a time once a year.
Range
In Europe, it is known from Albania, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, mainland Denmark, Estonia, Finland, mainland France, Germany, Great Britain including the Isle of Man, mainland Greece, Hungary, mainland Italy, Kaliningrad, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, mainland Norway, Poland, mainland Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sardinia, Slovakia, Slovenia, mainland Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Ukraine, Yugoslavia.
