File: <dermesti.htm>

COLEOPTERA, Dermestidae

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 ]