Animal Species:Australian Carpet Beetle
The Australian Carpet Beetle is a native member of a small but significant group of beetles (family Dermestidae) that frequently invade homes and whose larvae feed on carpets and similar fabrics.
Adult Carpet Beetle
CSIRO
© CSIRO
Size range
2-3 mm
Distribution
The Australian Carpet Beetle is found throughout Australia.
Habitat
The Australian Carpet Beetle lives in urban areas, forests and woodlands.
Feeding and Diet
The Australian Carpet Beetle frequently invades homes, whose larvae then feeds on carpet and similar fabric. These beetles are a major pest in museums as they attack dried animal skins. The adult beetles eat flowers and live mostly outdoors. As a result, treatment indoors is ineffective in the long term because the adult beetles easily re-enter and infest buildings.
Other behaviours and adaptations
The larvae of the Australian Carpet Beetle are small hairy grubs whose hairs break off when handled and can cause allergic reactions in some people. Before we introduced household goods into their diet, carpet beetle larvae naturally fed on spider webs, dried animal skins or other dried protein material.
Classification
- Species:
- australis
- Genus:
- Anthrenocerus
- Subfamily:
- Megatominae
- Family:
- Dermestidae
- Superfamily:
- Bostrichoidea
- Suborder:
- Polyphaga
- Order:
- Coleoptera
- Class:
- Insecta
- Phylum:
- Arthopoda
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
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Tags beetles, coleoptera, pests, insects, arthropods, invertebrates, identification, wildlife of sydney,
