Articles
Vol. 12 No. 2 (2025)
The Palaearctic Dermestes undulatus Brahm 1790 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Dermestinae) species complex: descriptions of neotype and three new species
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 6 October 2025
248
Views
61
Downloads
Authors
Many species of Dermestidae have not been adequately described to facilitate current taxonomic studies. According to the World Catalogue of Dermestidae, the whereabouts of the holotype of Dermestes undulatus is not known. In the current study, a neotype is raised for taxonomic stability. In addition to the nominate species, three new species are described, one from North Africa and a further two from Kazakhstan. Species are identified by the structure of the male genitalia. The distributions of all four species are provided.
Downloads
Download data is not yet available.
Citations
Armstrong E., Bakaloudis D.E. & Holloway G.J., 2023 – A morphometric examination of Anthrenus flavipes flavipes LeConte 1854 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Anthrenini). Bulletin of Insectology, 76: 265-270.
Bonacci T., Vercillo V. & Benecke M., 2017 – Dermestes frischii and D. undulatus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) on a human corpse in Southern Italy: first report. Romanian Journal of Legal Medicine, 25: 180-184.
Brahm N.J., 1790 – Insektenkalender für Sammler und Oekonomen. Erster Theil, [part I]. Privil. Universitätsbuchhandlung, Mainz, xii + 128 pp.
Charabidze D., Colard T., Vincent B., Pasquerault, T. & Hedouin V., 2014 – Involvement of larder beetles (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) on human cadavers: a review of 81 forensic cases. International Journal of Legal Medicine, 128: 1021-1030.
Coyne J.A. & Orr H.A., 2004 – Speciation. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA (USA).
Futyuma D.J., 2005 – Evolution. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, MA (USA).
Gunn A., 2018 – The exploitation of fresh remains by Dermestes maculatus De Geer (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) and their ability to cause a localised and prolonged increase in temperature above ambient. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 59: 20-29.
Háva J., 2024 – World Dermestidae (Coleoptera). <http://dermestidae.wz.cz/world-dermestidae/>
Hermand M.E.C. & Holloway G.J., 2020 – Profile of a species: Attagenus rufiventris Pic (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Israel Journal of Entomology, 50: 93-102.
Holloway G.J., 2020 – Anthrenus (s. str.) chikatunovi (Coleoptera: Dermestidae): A new species from southern France. Israel Journal of Entomology, 50: 69-75.
Holloway G.J., 2024 – Anthrenus (Anthrenus) querneri (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae), a new species from Austria. Insecta Mundi, 1060: 1-6.
Holloway G.J. & Bakaloudis D.E., 2020 – A comparative morphological study of Anthrenus pimpinellae pimpinellae (Fabricius, 1775) and Anthrenus amandae Holloway, 2019 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). The Coleopterists Bulletin, 74: 315-321.
Holloway G.J., Bakaloudis D.E., Barclay M.V., Foster C.W., Kadej M., Callaghan A. & Paxton R.J., 2020 – Revision of taxonomic status of Anthrenus pimpinellae isabellinus (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). European Journal of Entomology, 117: 481-489.
Holloway G.J., Bakaloudis D.E. & Foster C. W. 2021 – Anthrenus dorsatus new to the United States and a comparison with Anthrenus pimpinellae ssp. pimpinellae (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society, 93: 153-163.
Holloway G.J. & Herrmann A., 2024 – Neotype designation of Anthrenus goliath Saulcy in Mulsant & Rey, 1867 (Coleoptera, Dermestidae, Megatominae). Baltic Journal of Coleopterology, 23: 341-348.
Holloway G.J., Maclure C.J. & Foster C.W., 2023 – Palaearctic distributions of Anthrenus pimpinellae (Fabricius) and Anthrenus isabellinus Küster (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Entomologist's Monthly Magazine, 159: 23-28.
Holloway G.J. & Sparks M., 2023 – A morphological examination of Trogoderma angustum (Coleoptera Dermestidae). Bulletin of Insectology, 76: 155-159.
Lambiase S., Murgia G., Sacchi R., Ghitti M. & Di Lucia V., 2018 – Effects of different temperatures on the development of Dermestes frischii and Dermestes undulatus (Coleoptera, Dermestidae): Comparison between species. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 63: 469-473.
Lambiase S., Corotti S. & Sacchi R., 2024 – Morphometric analysis for determination of larval instars in Dermestes frischii Kugelann and Dermestes undulatus Brahm (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Journal of Forensic Sciences, 69: 1088-1093.
Magni P.A., Voss S.C., Testi R., Borrini M. & Dadour, I.R., 2015 – A biological and procedural review of forensically significant Dermestes species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 52: 755-769.
Martín-Vega D., Díaz-Aranda L.M., Baz A. & Cifrián B., 2017 – Effect of temperature on the survival and development of three forensically relevant Dermestes species (Coleoptera: Dermestidae). Journal of Medical Entomology, 54: 1140-1150.
Mayr E., 1963 – Animal Species and Evolution. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA (USA).
Mroczkowski M., 1968 – Distribution of the Dermestidae (Coleoptera) of the world with a catalogue of all known species. Annales Zoologici, 26: 15-192.
Niehuis N.J., 2011 – Nicolaus Josephus Brahm (18 Mai 1754 – 29 Juni 1821) – ein bedeutender Insektenkundler aus der Stadt Mainz. Mainzer Naturwissenschaftliche Archiv, 48: 21-95.
Ridley M., 2004 – Evolution. Blackwell Publishing, Oxford (UK).
How to Cite
The Palaearctic Dermestes undulatus Brahm 1790 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Dermestinae) species complex: descriptions of neotype and three new species. (2025). Natural History Sciences, 12(2). https://doi.org/10.4081/nhs.2025.872
Copyright (c) 2025 the Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
