Stats

Lifespan: 1-3 yrs
Size: Tiny
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Solitary
Biome: Temperate woodland
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Camouflage
Status: Common

About

A tiny beetle barely 3 mm long, its back patterned with irregular white, brown, and yellow scales that look like a miniature mosaic. The hairy larvae, called woolly bears, silently devour wool, silk, feathers, and leather — making them one of the most destructive fabric pests found in homes and museum collections worldwide.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Dermestidae
Genus: Anthrenus
Species: Anthrenus verbasci