Superfamily Coccoidea Scientific name Kermes Order True bugs | Family Kermesidae Rank Genus | |
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Similar Kermesidae, Insect, Kermes vermilio, Scale insect, True bugs |
Kermes is a genus of scale insects in the order Hemiptera. They feed on the sap of evergreen oaks; the females produce a red dye, also called "kermes", that is the source of natural crimson. The word "kermes" is derived from Arabic/Persian qirmiz (قرمز), which means "red" or "crimson" (probably via Middle Persian, from (ultimately) Sanskrit कृमिज kṛmi-ja meaning "worm-made").
There are six species:
References
Kermes (insect) Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA