File: <dermesti.htm> [For teaching purposes only; do not review, quote or
abstract] Terminology <Principal
Natural Enemy Groups>
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COLEOPTERA, Dermestidae Please refer also to the
following link for details on this group:
Dermestidae = Link 1 Dermestids feed extensively on dead animal and
plant material. However, a number of
species feed on the eggs of other insects, particularly where they are
enclosed within a distinct case or in a compact mass with a felted covering
(Clausen 1940/62). Larvae of some Thaumaglossa spp. feed in
mantid egg cases in South Africa and Texas, and in Japan a high proportion of
those of Tenodera sinensis Sauss infest another
mantid species. A large number of
larvae may be found in each case, and the entire contents is usually consumed
before the end of the incubation period, which takes at least 6 months
(Clausen 1940/62). In some parts of
North Africa and Europe, Attagenus,
Trogoderma and Dermestes species are important
predators on the eggs of gypsy moth and other Lepidoptera with similar egg
masses. Several species of Dermestes infest cocoons of
silkworms in Asian and Europe, although they are not believed to attack
living larvae or pupae within (Clausen 1940/62).
References:
Please refer to <biology.ref.htm>,
[Additional references may be found at:
MELVYL Library ] |