Species group: fuliginosus

These are the dichotomous keys to identify species of Dermestes (Coleoptera; Dermestidae) on a worldwide scale.

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1a. Pronotum and head are entirely covered with dense golden brown pubescence.

→ Dermestes hirticollis

1b. Pronotum black in colour. Go to question: 2

2a. Pronotum is 1.6 times as wide as long. Go to question: 3

2b. Pronotum is less than 1.5 times as wide as long. Go to question: 4

3a. Hairs on pronotum black on the disc and yellow laterally, scutellum with long and yellow pubescence; two lateral depressions on the first sternite.

→ Dermestes sichuanicus

3b. Hairs on both pronotum and scutellum short and black; one lateral depression on the first sternite.

→ Dermestes roubali *

4a. The abdomen are covered in yellow or yellowish-grey hairs; flattened body; posterior margin of the pronotum bilobed with yellow hairs. Go to question: 5

4b. The majority of the abdominal sternites are covered in black hairs; posterior margin of the pronotum not lobed. Go to question: 6

5a. Aabdomen fully covered in yellow hairs; punctuation on pronotum and elytra is very thinly.

5b. All margins of the ventral segments are fringed with golden-yellow hairs; punctuation on pronotum is finely and densely, but more sparsely and therefore shiny on the disc, punctuation on the elytra are densely and rather coarsly.

→ Dermestes latissimus

6a. The last abdominal sternite is covered in black hairs; antennal club is black; 7-8 mm long.

→ Dermestes fuliginosus

6b. The last abdominal sternite is covered with reddish hairs; antennal club is brown; 6-7 mm long.

→ Dermestes olivieri

* In both the orginal species description as the species redescription of Dermestes roubali, the large width of the pronotum compared to its length is noted (Kalík 1951, Lozinskaya & Legalov 1999). The ratio of the pronotum being 1.6 times wide as long is als mentioned as a key feature compared to other species (ratio of 1.5 or smaller) in other sources (Zhantiev 1976, Háva 1999). However, the beetles identified as D. roubali in the collection of A. Herrmann are in conflict with the existing literature. The beetles in question were collected in east Kazachstan and the following was said by Herrmann (pers. comm.) about the female specimen whose dorsal image is shown in his picture gallery: "I measured the pronotum of D. roubali in the photo precisely from above and found it to be 2.6 x 3.8 mm, which corresponds to a ratio of 1.46."

Two options are possible as for why the pronotum's width/length ratio does not reach the treshold set for the species:
1. The species is more variable in size of the pronotum as previously thought and described.
2. The collected beetles are a new undescribed species that is being confused with D. roubali.

Comparison of the drawn antenna and lateral margin of D.roubali from existing literature and photos made by A. Herrmann of the beetle(s) in his holdings identified as D.roubali:

Images used:

Image of key 1:
- Niolu P. 2008: Dermestes hirticollis. Link.

Image of key 3a (dorsal), 4, 6a (antenna) and 6b (antenna):
- Herrmann A. no date: Pictures of some Dermestid Species. Link.

Image of key 3b (dorsal):
- Lozinskaya J. L. & Legalov A. A. 1999: A redescription of Dermestes roubali (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) from Altai. Vesnik Zoologii 33: 95-96. Link.

Image of key 3 (lateral margins):
- Háva J. 1999: Contribution to the knowledge of Old World Dermestidae (Coleoptera). Part 2: Genus Dermestes. Folia Heyrovskyana 7: 141-150. Link.

Image of key 5a (dorsal):
- Leonid 2025: Dermestes depressus. Link.

Image of key 5b (dorsal):
- Háva J. & Herrmann A. 2019: New faunistic records and remarks on Dermestidae (Coleoptera) - Part 18. Studies and Reports, Taxonomical Series 15(1): 41-53. Link.

Image of key 6b (dorsal):
- Ukrainian Nature Conservation Group (NGO) 2021: Dermestes olivieri Lepesme, 1939. Link.

Information used:

- (1 and 6) Lepesme P. 1950: Révision des Dermestes (Coleoptera, Dermestidae). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France 115: 37-68. Link.
- (2, 3b, 4, 5a and 6) Zhantiev R. D. 1976: Жуки-кожееды (семейство Dermestidae) фауны СССР. [The skin eaters family Dermestidae of fauna of the USSR.] Moskva: Izdatelstvo Moskovskogo Universiteta, 180 p. Link.
- (2) Kalík V. 1951: Neue Dermestiden aus der Palaearktischen Fauna. (4. Beitrag). Annales Historico-Naturales Musei Nationalis Hungarici 1: 152-156. Link.
- (3) Háva J. 1999: Contribution to the knowledge of Old World Dermestidae (Coleoptera). Part 2: Genus Dermestes. Folia Heyrovskyana 7: 141-150. Link.
- (3b) Lozinskaya J. L. & Legalov A. A. 1999: A redescription of Dermestes roubali (Coleoptera, Dermestidae) from Altai. Vesnik Zoologii 33: 95-96. Link.
- (5a) Gebler F. A. von 1830: Bemerkungen über die Insecten Sibiriens, vorzüglich des Altai. In: C. F. Ledebour´s: Reise durch das Altai-Gebirge und die soongorische Kirgisen-Steppe. Zweiter Theil, III. Berlin: Reimer, 228 pp. Link.
- (5b) Háva J. & Herrmann A. 2019: New faunistic records and remarks on Dermestidae (Coleoptera) - Part 18. Studies and Reports, Taxonomical Series 15(1): 41-53. Link.
- (5b) Manci C-O. no date: Dermestes (Montandonia) latissimus Bielz, 1850. Link.