Anthrenus zahradniki

Anthrenus zahradniki
Anthrenus verbasci, a closely related species in the same subgenus (Nathrenus). No photograph of A. zahradniki is available.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Family: Dermestidae
Genus: Anthrenus
Subgenus: Nathrenus
Species:
A. zahradniki
Binomial name
Anthrenus zahradniki
Háva, 2003

Anthrenus zahradniki is a species of carpet beetle in the family Dermestidae, belonging to the subgenus Nathrenus. It was described by Czech entomologist Jiří Háva in 2003 from specimens collected in Turkey.[1] The species is found across the eastern Mediterranean, with records from Turkey, the Greek islands of Chios and Rhodes, Cyprus, and Lebanon.[2][3]

Taxonomy

Anthrenus zahradniki was first described by Jiří Háva in 2003 in the journal Klapalekiana, published by the Czech Entomological Society.[1] It is classified within the subgenus Nathrenus Casey, 1900, and placed in the "verbasci" species group alongside its closest known relative, Anthrenus biskrensis Reitter, 1887.[2] Háva's original description compares the two species in detail and provides diagnostic illustrations.[1]

The specific epithet zahradniki is a Latinised genitive patronym honouring Petr Zahradník, a Czech entomologist at the Forestry and Game Management Research Institute in Prague who specialises in the taxonomy of Ptinidae and Bostrichidae.[1][4]

Fauna Europaea and some other databases have listed the species under the subgenus Florilinus rather than Nathrenus.[5] However, the original description explicitly places it in Nathrenus, and this classification is followed by Háva's regularly updated World Dermestidae Catalogue.[2]

Description

Like other members of the genus Anthrenus, A. zahradniki is a small, rounded beetle, with the genus ranging from 1.8 to 4 mm in body length.[6] The dorsal surface is covered in fine, petal-shaped scales of varying colours, typically white, brown, yellowish, and dark, that form species-specific patterns on the elytra. These scales wear off with age, revealing the shining black cuticle beneath.[6]

As a member of the subgenus Nathrenus, the species is characterised by 11-segmented antennae terminating in a club (larger in males than females), and by lacking an indentation on the inner margin of the eye, a feature that distinguishes Nathrenus from the nominate subgenus Anthrenus.[7] Body scales in Nathrenus are generally more than twice as long as wide.[7]

The original description distinguishes A. zahradniki from the very similar A. biskrensis through differences in scale patterning and male genitalic structure.[1]

Distribution

Anthrenus zahradniki has an eastern Mediterranean distribution. It was originally described from Turkey (the type locality).[1] Subsequent records have extended its known range to the Greek islands of Chios and Rhodes, Cyprus, and Lebanon.[2][3] Háva and Németh published the first record from Lebanon in 2016.[3]

The distribution of A. zahradniki is complementary to that of its closest relative, A. biskrensis, which occurs across the western and central Mediterranean (Italy, Malta, Spain, and North Africa).[2]

As of 2026, no digitised occurrence records for the species exist in the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF); the species is known primarily from museum specimens documented in taxonomic literature.[5]

Ecology

No species-specific ecological studies of A. zahradniki have been published. Its biology is presumed to follow the general pattern well established for the genus Anthrenus.[6][8]

Adults

Adult Anthrenus beetles are pollen and nectar feeders, commonly found on flowers of Apiaceae and Asteraceae.[8][9] They are active fliers during spring and summer and function as minor pollinators of the plants they visit.[8] Adults live for approximately two weeks.[9]

Larvae

Larvae are the destructive life stage, feeding on dry animal-derived materials rich in keratin, including fur, feathers, wool, shed skin, and dried insect remains.[8][9] In natural habitats, larvae are typically found in bird nests, bat roosts, and tree hollows where such debris accumulates.[10] They are covered in long defensive hairs known as hastisetae, a characteristic shared across the genus.[6] Several Anthrenus species are significant pests of museum collections and textiles, though there is no evidence that A. zahradniki has pest status.[11]

Life cycle

Anthrenus beetles undergo complete metamorphosis. Females lay 35 to 100 eggs, which hatch in one to three weeks. The full life cycle takes 4 to 12 months depending on temperature and food availability.[9]

The majority of Anthrenus species are associated with semiarid regions of Europe, Asia, and Africa.[6]

Conservation status

Anthrenus zahradniki has not been assessed by the IUCN Red List or any other conservation body.[5]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f Háva, J. (2003). "Anthrenus (Nathrenus) zahradniki sp. n. (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) from Turkey". Klapalekiana. 39: 225–227. ISSN 1210-6100.
  2. ^ a b c d e Háva, Jiří (2023). "World Dermestidae. Subfamily Megatominae" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 June 2024. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Háva, J.; Németh, T. (2016). "Contribution to the occurrence of Dermestidae (Coleoptera) in Lebanon". Folia Entomologica Hungarica. 77: 17–21. ISSN 0373-9465.
  4. ^ Háva, J.; Zahradník, P. (2024). World Catalogue of Insects, Volume 17: Bostrichidae (Coleoptera). Brill.
  5. ^ a b c "Anthrenus zahradniki Hava, 2003". GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  6. ^ a b c d e Háva, J. (2015). World Catalogue of Insects, Volume 13: Dermestidae (Coleoptera). Leiden/Boston: Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-28660-3.
  7. ^ a b Kadej, M.; Háva, J. (2013). "The genus Neoanthrenus Armstrong, 1941 (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Anthrenini): A new synonym of Anthrenus Geoffroy, 1762". Zootaxa. 3646 (1): 87–92. doi:10.11646/ZOOTAXA.3646.1.8. PMID 26213748.
  8. ^ a b c d "Carpet beetles identification guide". Natural History Museum, London. Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  9. ^ a b c d Cranshaw, W.S. "Carpet Beetles". Colorado State University Extension (Fact sheet 5.549). Retrieved 19 February 2026.
  10. ^ Woodroffe, G.E.; Southgate, B.J. (1951). "Birds' nests as a source of domestic pests". Journal of Zoology. 121: 55–63. doi:10.1111/j.1096-3642.1951.tb00737.x.
  11. ^ Linnie, M.J. (1987). "Pest Control: A Survey of Natural History Museums in Great Britain and Ireland". The International Journal of Museum Management and Curatorship. 6 (3): 277–290. doi:10.1080/09647778709515078.

Further reading

  • Háva, J. (2003). World Catalogue of the Dermestidae (Coleoptera). Studie a zprávy Oblastního Muzea Praha-východ, Supplementum 1. Oblastní Muzeum Praha-východ. p. 196.
  • Özdikmen, H.; et al. (2022). "New locality records for Dermestidae (Coleoptera) fauna of Turkey along with updated checklist". Munis Entomology & Zoology (supplement). 17: 1666–1674.
  • Data related to Anthrenus zahradniki at Wikispecies
  • Anthrenus zahradniki at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility
  • Anthrenus zahradniki at the Encyclopedia of Life
  • World Dermestidae — Jiří Háva's catalogue and research website
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