Species group: maculatus

1a. Apex of elytra with spine. Go to question:2 

1b. Apex of elytra without spine. Go to question: 4

2a. Elytra bicolorous, orange/light brown with black apical spot.

→ Dermestes madagascariensis

2b. Elytra unicolorous black or brown. Go to question: 3

3a. Scutellum covered with brown-testaceous or yellowish hairs; nine or ten unevenly arranged spines besides the sutural angle; pattern on the last abdominal sternite; shape of male genitalia.

→ Dermestes maculatus

3b. Scutellum covered in white hairs; end margin of elytron with seventeen evenly distributed spines and a short strong spine at the sutural angle; pattern on the last abdominal sternite; shape of male genitalia.

→ Dermestes shaanxiensis

4a. The last abdominal sternite is covered with white hairs without a black spot at the apex of the sternite; shoulders of elytra contain patches of reddish hairs (sometimes almost black) and the rest of the elytra marmorate subtransversely with black and grey hairs; males have two tufts on the abdomen.

→ Dermestes carnivorus

4b. The last abdominal sternite is covered with white hairs with a black spot at the apex of the sternite; elytra do not contain patches of reddish hairs; males have on tuft on the abdomen. Go to question: 5

5a. White hairs are present above the black spot at the apex of the last abdominal sternite. Go to question: 6

6b. The black spot at the apex of the last abdominal sternite reaches to the top border of the sternite. Go to question: 7

6a. The white hairs on the pronotum are covered with white or light grey hairs, disc is covered with black hairs and some single white hairs, the posterior half of elytra contain black and white hairs.

→ Dermestes frischii

6b. The sides of the pronotum are covered with yellow hairs, disc with dark brown and yellow hairs, the posterior half of elytra contain black and yellow hairs with a small admixture of white hairs.

→ Dermestes planus

7a. The last abdominal sternite has two white spots of white hairs at the anterior margin; the lateral margins of the pronotum are arcuately emarginate in the posterior third.

→ Dermestes coarctatus

7b. The last abdominal sternite has two longitudinal stripes of white hairs; the lateral margins of the pronotum are rounded.

→ Dermestes sibiricus

The two most common species of this species group to encounter worldwide are Dermestes maculatus and Dermestes frischii. These two species are easy to differentiate from each other by comparing the ventral pattern and with question 1 of the key guide above. But if these two traits are not visible, there is a third difference between the two: the pattern of the whit hairs on the lateral margins on the pronotum. The three key differences in short:

D. maculatus: (1. Black spot at the apex of the last abdominal sternite reaches the anterior margin of the sternite, shaped like an hourglass. (2. A spine is present at the end of each elytron. (3. The white hairs at the lateral margins of the pronotum are near the middle shaped like a spike pointing inwards.

D. frischii: (1. Black spot at the apex of the last abdominal sternite doesn't reached the anterior margin of the sternite, shaped like the top of a heart. (2. No spine is present at the end of each elytron. (3. The white hairs at the lateral margins of the pronotum are 'fringed' in shape, meaning two spikes are pointing inwards and bend posteriorly.