Anthrenus Sarnicus
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''Anthrenus sarnicus'', the Guernsey carpet beetle, is a type of carpet beetle ('Sarnia' is the
Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
name for
Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...
). It can be generally found in Great Britain. Its suborder is
Polyphaga Polyphaga is the largest and most diverse suborder of beetles. It comprises 144 families in 16 superfamilies, and displays an enormous variety of specialization and adaptation, with over 350,000 described species, or approximately 90% of the b ...
, the infraorder is
Bostrichiformia Bostrichiformia is an infraorder of polyphagan beetles. It contains two superfamilies, Derodontoidea and Bostrichoidea, which includes the Dermestidae, Ptinidae, Bostrichidae The Bostrichidae are a family of beetles with more than 700 descri ...
, the superfamily is
Bostrichoidea Bostrichoidea is a Taxonomic rank, superfamily of beetles. It is the type superfamily of the infraorder Bostrichiformia. Description The Bostrichoidea are united by the following features: modified cryptonephridism, the structure of the aedea ...
, and the family is
Dermestidae Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles or carpet beetles. Other common names include larder beetles, hide or leather beetles, and khapra beetles. There are over 1,800 species described. Dermestids ha ...
. The carpet beetle is shaped like an oval and about the size of a pin.


Description


Diet

Carpet beetles are known for eating away at carpets and rugs. Their diet consists of feathers, furs, insects, dead animals, processed human food, skins, cotton, silk, and wool.


Predators

A variety of predators like ants and spiders will feed on carpet beetle larvae. No predators will exclusively eat carpet beetles and the larvae will hide in dark places to avoid them.


Life cycle

All carpet beetles will go through metamorphism during their lives. They will pass through the egg, larval, and pupal points to reach full maturity. This can take two months to many years. Female carpet beetles can lay over 100 eggs which can hatch after 10–44 days at temperatures between and , ideally at . Four generations of carpet beetles can develop every year. It can take 9 months to 2 years for a carpet beetle to become a full adult. However, adults only survive for a couple of weeks. The adults are skillful fliers and can live for many weeks without food. In the UK, it was found that between June and September, the beetles mostly stay outdoors, migrating indoors during the rest of the year.


As a pest

Signs of an infestation are spotting their pellets and skin. One should also expect to see the adult beetles and their larvae. Adult guernsey carpet beetles have patches of brown, white, and black. They move slowly and when touched they will roll over. The source of the infestations can be identified by looking for where there are more beetles, skins, and feces.


References

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q2806078 sarnicus