''Mezium americanum'', the American spider beetle or black spider beetle, is a species of beetle in the subfamily

Ptininae Spider beetles make up the subfamily Ptininae, in the family Ptinidae. There are approximately 70 genera and 600 species in the subfamily, with about 12 genera and 70 species in North America north of Mexico. Spider beetles have round bodies wi ...

, the spider beetles. These are sometimes mistaken for spiders or mites because of their rounded abdomens and long legs.Jacobs, S
Spider beetles.
Entomological Notes. Cooperative Extension. Penn State. 2006, Revised 2013. It has a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

, but it is an exotic species in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

.''Mezium americanum''.
Pests and Diseases Image Library (PaDIL).

Description

The beetle is about long. Its body is dull yellow and hairy, and the elytra are a glossy black or reddish. It has a nearly cylindrical thorax with blunt projections on each side.Milne, L. and M. Milne. 1980. ''The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Insects and Spiders''. 8th printing. Alfred A. Knopf Inc., New York, N.Y. The antennae and legs are long and slender and pale brown to yellow in color. The larva is C-shaped and cream-colored with a brown head.

Impacts

Like many other spider beetles, this species feeds on stored animal and vegetable products, including foodstuffs. It lives on nuts, beans, seeds, spices, cacao, and powdered chocolate, cereals and meal, dried fruits, herbs, and mushrooms, soup powder, fish meal, and bread. Other products it consumes include leather and animal skins, bones, feathers, dried feces, silk, wool, textiles, old wood, books, and dead insects and specimens, including taxidermy. It is known to feed on cayenne pepper, tobacco, and opium.

References

External links

*Ebeling, W
Chapter 7: Pests Of Stored Food Products.
Urban Entomology. UC Riverside
Species ''Mezium americanum'' - American Spider Beetle.
Bug Guide
Family: Ptinidae (spider beetles).
Biodiversity Explorer
Images: ''Mezium americanum''.
Invasive.org
''Ozone Pest Control''
{{DEFAULTSORT:American Spider Beetle Mezium americanum Household pest insects Beetles described in 1840 Cosmopolitan arthropods