Edwin R. Willis

The Oviposition of Dermestes ater Degeer, With Notes on Bionomics Under Laboratory Conditions

Dermestes ater Degeer,1 the black larder beetle, is a cosmopolitan species that has been reported to damage dried fish, cheese, copra, hog bristles, dried mushrooms, silk, leather, woo1, cacao, and ginger (Illingworth, 1916; Mutchler and Weiss, 1927; Blake, 1943), and as a scavenger on dead birds in Hawaii (Bryan, 1926). Its synonymy has been reviewed by Barber (1942). With the exception of a few observationLs on the life history (Illingworth, 1916) little experimental work appears to have been carried out with this beetle though the closely related larder beetle, Dermestes lardarius L., and hide beetle, Dermestes maculatus Degeer (= D. vulpinus Fabr.) have been investigated (Kreyenberg, 1928; Dick, 1937). This paper presents data on the biology of D. ater under laboratory conditions with particular emphasis on oviposition behavior.