''Anthrenus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the family

Dermestidae 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 1,100 species described. Dermestids have ...

, the skin beetles. One of several genera of carpet beetles, ''Anthrenus'' was historically placed in a subfamily Anthreninae, though presently included in the

Megatominae Megatominae is a subfamily of the beetle family Dermestidae. This subfamily contains several of the most well-known household and stored-product pest beetles, in the genera '' Anthrenus'' and '' Trogoderma''. Genera There are about 27 genera.Há ...

. The genus ''

Neoanthrenus ''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 genu ...

'' is closely related. ''Anthrenus'' carpet beetles are small beetles a few millimetres long with a rather rounded shape. Their antennae bear small clubs at the end, which are plumper in males than in females. Many have a delicate and rather pretty pattern, with a dark body covered in colorful scales of various brown, tan, red, whitish and grey hues. These scales rub off easily, and old individuals are often partially devoid of them, showing the shining black

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs (Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes alterna ...

. A considerable number of subspecies and

varieties Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

have been named, but it is questionable whether these are all valid or simply refer to such age-related differences. The massive number of

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

has been divided into several subgenera, but these are not too firmly established. The small subgenus ''Helocerus'' for example is sometimes entirely included in ''Florilinus''. Also, new species are being described every now and then. These beetles range essentially all over the world; they have even colonized some remote oceanic islands. Most species are harmless pollen-eaters, with the long-haired

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e feeding on a wide range on dead animal or plant matter. This makes them important

decomposer Decomposers are organisms that break down dead or decaying organisms; they carry out decomposition, a process possible by only certain kingdoms, such as fungi. Like herbivores and predators, decomposers are heterotrophic, meaning that they use o ...

s, which clean up decaying organisms. Some, however, most notoriously the museum beetle (''A. museorum''), are significant

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

, infesting stored goods and especially

biological specimen A biological specimen (also called a biospecimen) is a biological laboratory specimen held by a biorepository for research. Such a specimen would be taken by sampling so as to be representative of any other specimen taken from the source of t ...

s in

museum collections A museum is distinguished by a collection of often unique objects that forms the core of its activities for exhibitions, education, research, etc. This differentiates it from an archive or library, where the contents may be more paper-based, repla ...

. These species have caused considerable damage to

biology Biology is the scientific study of life. It is a natural science with a broad scope but has several unifying themes that tie it together as a single, coherent field. For instance, all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary i ...

by destroying valuable

type specimen In biology, a type is a particular specimen (or in some cases a group of specimens) of an organism to which the scientific name of that organism is formally attached. In other words, a type is an example that serves to anchor or centralizes th ...

s. Their larvae may cause considerable damage on wool, fur, feathers, and natural history collections.

Selected species

Subgenus ''Anthrenodes'' * '' Anthrenus ceylonicus'' * '' Anthrenus distinctus'' * '' Anthrenus guineaensis'' * '' Anthrenus israelicus'' * '' Anthrenus jordanicus'' * '' Anthrenus klapperichi'' * '' Anthrenus malkini'' * '' Anthrenus occultus'' * '' Anthrenus semenovi'' ** ''Anthrenus semenovi'' var. ''rupestris'' * '' Anthrenus umbellatarum'' Subgenus ''Anthrenops'' * '' Anthrenus bellulus'' ** ''Anthrenus bellulus ornatus'' * '' Anthrenus cervenkai'' * '' Anthrenus eichleri'' * '' Anthrenus geisthardti'' * '' Anthrenus hissaricus'' * '' Anthrenus oculatus'' * '' Anthrenus splendidus'' * '' Anthrenus zebra''

Subgenus ''Anthrenus''

* '' Anthrenus angustefasciatus'' * '' Anthrenus armstrongi'' * '' Anthrenus bartolozzii'' * '' Anthrenus botswaniensis'' * '' Anthrenus chiton'' Beal, 1998 * '' Anthrenus delicatus'' Kiesenwetter, 1851 * '' Anthrenus ethiopicus'' * '' Anthrenus festivus'' Erichson, 1846 * '' Anthrenus flavidulus'' * ''

Anthrenus flavipes ''Anthrenus flavipes'' is a species of beetle in the family Dermestidae known by the common name furniture carpet beetle. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring throughout the world, being most active in warmer climates.Gahlhoff, J. EFurn ...

'' J.L.LeConte, 1854 – furniture carpet beetle ** ''Anthrenus flavipes albopunctatus'' * '' Anthrenus goliath'' Mulsant & Rey, 1868 * '' Anthrenus indicus'' * '' Anthrenus isabellinus'' Küster, 1848 * '' Anthrenus kantneri'' * '' Anthrenus katerinae'' * '' Anthrenus kenyaensis'' * '' Anthrenus latefasciatus'' * '' Anthrenus lepidus'' LeConte, 1854 * '' Anthrenus merkli'' * '' Anthrenus mesopotamicus'' * '' Anthrenus miniopictus'' * '' Anthrenus munroi'' Hinton, 1943 * '' Anthrenus namibicus'' * ''

Anthrenus nipponensis ''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 ...

'' * '' Anthrenus oceanicus'' Fauvel, 1903 * '' Anthrenus parvus'' Casey, 1900 * '' Anthrenus pfefferi'' * '' Anthrenus picturatus'' ** ''Anthrenus picturatus arabicus'' ** ''Anthrenus picturatus hintoni'' ** ''Anthrenus picturatus makolskii'' ** ''Anthrenus picturatus melanoleucus'' * ''

Anthrenus pimpinellae ''Anthrenus pimpinellae'' is a species of beetle found natively in Europe, northern Africa, Asia and portions of the Oriental region; it has also been introduced to parts of North America. Description Size of about 3–4 mm. Elytra bla ...

'' Fabricius, 1775 ** ''Anthrenus pimpinellae mroczkowskii'' Kalík, 1954 * ''

Anthrenus rotundulus ''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 ...

'' * ''

Anthrenus scrophulariae ''Anthrenus (Anthrenus) scrophulariae'', also known as the common carpet beetle or buffalo carpet beetle, is a species of beetle originally found in Europe, the Middle East and the Nearctic, which has now spread to most of the world. Adult beetle ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1758) – common carpet beetle ** ''Anthrenus scrophulariae'' var. ''albidus'' ** ''Anthrenus scrophulariae'' var. ''gravidus'' ** ''Anthrenus scrophulariae'' var. ''suecicus'' Palm, 1940 * '' Anthrenus senegalensis'' * '' Anthrenus simonis'' * '' Anthrenus sophonisba'' Beal, 1998 * '' Anthrenus tarnawskii'' * '' Anthrenus thoracicus'' Melsheimer, 1846 * '' Anthrenus x-signum''

Subgenus ''Florilinus'' * '' Anthrenus castaneae'' Melsheimer, 1846 * '' Anthrenus caucasicus'' * '' Anthrenus coreanus'' * '' Anthrenus flavidus'' * '' Anthrenus hartmanni'' * '' Anthrenus mugodsharicus'' * ''

Anthrenus museorum ''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 e ...

'' (Linnaeus, 1761) – museum beetle * '' Anthrenus oberthueri'' Reitter, 1881 * ''

Anthrenus olgae ''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 genu ...

'' Kalík, 1946 * '' Anthrenus pallidus'' * '' Anthrenus solskianus'' * ''

Anthrenus sordidulus ''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 ...

'' * '' Anthrenus sveci'' * '' Anthrenus tanakai'' * '' Anthrenus zhantievi'' Subgenus ''Helocerus'' * ''

Anthrenus fuscus ''Anthrenus fuscus'' is a species of carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae 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 beetle ...

'' A.G.Olivier, 1789 * '' Anthrenus minutus'' Erichson, 1846 * '' Anthrenus polonicus'' Mroczkowski, 1951

Subgenus ''Nathrenus''

* '' Anthrenus albomaculatus'' * '' Anthrenus albostictus'' * '' Anthrenus basilewskyi'' * '' Anthrenus biskrensis'' Reitter, 1887 * '' Anthrenus boyesi'' * '' Anthrenus bulirschi'' * '' Anthrenus constantini'' * '' Anthrenus cordis'' * '' Anthrenus exilis'' * ''

Anthrenus havai ''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 ...

'' * '' Anthrenus kucerai'' * '' Anthrenus margarethae'' * '' Anthrenus mindanaoensis'' * '' Anthrenus nadeini'' * '' Anthrenus natalensis'' * '' Anthrenus obscurus'' * '' Anthrenus preissi'' * '' Anthrenus pubifer'' * '' Anthrenus schawalleri'' * '' Anthrenus signatus'' Erichson, 1846 ** ''Anthrenus signatus'' var. ''incanus'' * '' Anthrenus snizeki'' * '' Anthrenus stelma'' * '' Anthrenus transcaspicus'' * '' Anthrenus tryznai'' * '' Anthrenus undatus'' * '' Anthrenus zahradniki''

Subgenus ''Ranthenus'' * '' Anthrenus alatauensis'' * '' Anthrenus kryzhanovskii'' * '' Anthrenus zeravshanicus'' Subgenus ''Solskinus'' * '' Anthrenus assimilis'' * '' Anthrenus bucharicus'' * '' Anthrenus dsungaricus'' * '' Anthrenus jacobsoni'' * '' Anthrenus tadzhicus'' * '' Anthrenus talassicus''

Subgenus undetermined * '' Anthrenus amoenulus'' - ''Anthrenodes'' or ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus biscrensis'' - ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus blanci'' Beal, 1998 * '' Anthrenus coloratus'' Reitter, 1881 - ''Anthrenops'' or ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus fucosus'' Beal, 1998 * '' Anthrenus funebris'' - ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus minor'' - ''Anthrenodes'' or ''Florilinus''? ** ''Anthrenus minor'' ab. ''unicolor'' * '' Anthrenus molitor'' Aubé, 1850 - ''Florilinus'' or ''Nathrenus''? * ''

Anthrenus occidens ''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 ...

'' Casey, 1900 * '' Anthrenus omoi'' Beal, 1998 * ''

Anthrenus sarnicus ''Anthrenus sarnicus'', the Guernsey carpet beetle, is a type of carpet beetle ('Sarnia' is the Latin name for Guernsey). It can be generally found in Great Britain. Its suborder is Polyphaga, the infraorder is Bostrichiformia, the superfamil ...

'' – Guernsey carpet beetle - ''Anthrenodes'' or ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus signatus'' - ''Florilinus'' or ''Nathrenus''? * '' Anthrenus tuvensis'' - ''Florilinus''? * '' Anthrenus umbra'' Beal, 1998 * '' Anthrenus ussuricus'' - ''Florilinus''? * ''

Anthrenus verbasci The varied carpet beetle (''Anthrenus verbasci'') is a 3 mm-long beetle belonging to the family Dermestidae. They are a common species, often considered a pest of domestic houses and, particularly, natural history museums, where the larvae m ...

'' – varied carpet beetle - ''Florilinus'' or ''Nathrenus''? ** ''Anthrenus verbasci'' var. ''nebulosus'' * '' Anthrenus versicolor'' Reitter, 1887 - ''Florilinus'' or ''Nathrenus''?

References

External links

''Anthrenus flavipes'', furniture carpet beetle

{{Authority control Dermestidae genera