Beetles Identification Guide

Stegobium paniceum (Linnaeus)
drugstore beetle
stégobie des pharmacies
Diagnosis: Because of its small size (length less than 3.5 mm) and general habitus
(Fig. 177), S. paniceum can be confused only with Lasioderma serricorne and some
ptinids, dermestids, and mycetophagids. The species is separated from L.
serricorne by the shape of the antennae, which are not serrate but have a loose, 3segmented
club, and by the elytral striae marked by distinct punctures. It differs
from the above-mentioned groups in having widely separated antennal
insertions, 5-segmented tarsi, and no ocellus on the head.
Sexual dimorphism: Males have a slot-like structure on the tarsal claw; females
have no such structure (Ward and Humphries 1977). This structure is distinct
only on slide-mounted specimens.
Distribution: Cosmopolitan, but unlike the previous species, more characteristically
temperate than tropical. The species occurs in Canada from coast to coast.
Economic importance: In Canada the species has been found regularly in mills,
bakeries, warehouses, libraries, and houses, where the larvae feed on a wide variety
of materials of vegetable and animal origin, including drugs that are poisonous
to humans. They also attack dried plant collections, old books, and paper.
Apparently, the adults do not feed.
Selected references
Farag, F.A.; Ismail, A.Y. 1986. Biological studies on the developmental stages of
the cigarette beetle Lasioderma serricorne Fab. Iraqi J. Agr. Sci. 4:63—68.
Howe, R.W. 1957. A laboratory study of the cigarette beetle, Lasioderma
serricorne (F.) (Col., Anobiidae) with a critical review of the literature on its
biology. Bull. Entomol. Res. 48:9—56.
Lefkovitch, L.P. l967. A laboratory study of Stegobium paniceum (L.)
(Coleoptera: Anobiidae). J. Stored Prod. Res. 3:235—249.
Lefkovitch, L.P.; Currie, J.E. l967. Factors affecting adult survival and fecundity
in Lasioderma serricorne (F.) (Coleoptera: Anobiidae). J. Stored Prod. Res.
3:199—212.
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ANTHICIDAE antlike flower beetles
This family, whose adults look superficially like ants, is represented by about
50 species in Canada. Their members are usually found under debris, stones,
and leaf litter often near streams or lakes or on the flowers and foliage of trees