Dermestidae (Hide Beetles)
Definition
Beetles in the family Dermestidae that colonise remains in the dry or skeletal stage, feeding on desiccated tissue, skin, and hair. Their late-stage presence is a signature of extended PMI, commonly months to years.
- Common name
- Hide beetles
- Colonisation stage
- Dry or skeletal remains
- Diet
- Desiccated tissue, skin, hair
- PMI signature
- Typically months to years
Common questions
How does hide beetle presence fit into a successional PMI method?+
Successional methods track the sequence of insect species colonising a body as it decomposes; hide beetles appear characteristically in the final, dry or skeletal wave, so finding them without earlier-wave insect evidence supports an extended postmortem interval rather than a recent death.
Does climate affect how reliably hide beetles indicate extended PMI?+
Yes, in hot, arid climates remains can reach the dry stage quickly, drawing hide beetles sooner than the months-to-years range typical of temperate climates, so local successional reference data for the region is needed for an accurate estimate.
Related terms
- Carrion Community
- The full assemblage of arthropods associated with a decomposing body at a given point in time: calyptrate flies, silphid and staphylinid beetles,...
- Faunal Succession
- The predictable, roughly ordered replacement of one insect community by another as a cadaver's chemistry and physical condition change through decomposition. Each...
- Indicator Species
- A species whose known arrival window in the local succession series allows the analyst to set a bound on elapsed time. Its...
- Reference Succession Series
- A documented record of which species colonise carcasses in a given region and season, in what order, and for roughly how long....
- Silphidae (Burying Beetles and Allies)
- A family of carrion beetles that arrive during active or advanced decay. Some bury small carcasses for larval feeding; others compete with...