Dermestid Beetle vs Reunion Flightless Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Dermestid Beetle Reunion Flightless Weevil
Scientific Name Dermestes maculatus Cratopus ovalis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Dermestidae Curculionidae
Size 6-10mm 8-12 mm
Habitat Farmland Forests
Diet Omnivores Herbivores
Regions Worldwide Reunion Island
Conservation Least Concern Vulnerable

Dermestid Beetle

A small dark beetle with white undersides used by museums and taxidermists to clean skeletons. Larvae are covered in bristly hairs.

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Did You Know?

Natural history museums keep colonies of these beetles specifically to clean flesh from bones for skeletal displays.

Reunion Flightless Weevil

A flightless weevil with fused elytra endemic to the island of Reunion. Its inability to fly has made it vulnerable to habitat fragmentation.

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Did You Know?

Flightlessness evolved independently in many island beetle lineages as an adaptation to windy conditions.