Ulomoides dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1878)

Temreshev, I. I., Kozhabaeva, G. E. & Yakovlev, R. V., 2025, ULOMOIDES DERMESTOIDES (CHEVROLAT, 1878) (COLEOPTERA: TENEBRIONIDAE): A NEW INVASIVE PEST OF FOODSTUFFS IN KAZAKHSTAN, Far Eastern Entomologist 517, pp. 14-17 : 15-16

Ulomoides dermestoides (Chevrolat, 1878)

Fig 1

MATERIAL EXAMINED. South-East Kazakhstan: Almaty oblast, Almaty city, Bostandyk district , 43°13'16.56"N, 76°55'56.00"E, in the net of spider Steatoda paykulliana (Walckenaer, 1806) , 5.VII 2022, 1♂, 2♀, leg. G.E. Kozhabaeva ; Almaty city, Turksib district, National Science Center especially dangerous infections, 43°20'21.73"N, 76°58'37.23"E, laboratory colony, 16.IX 2022, 10♂, 10♀, leg. I.I. Temreshev ; South Kazakhstan: Turkistan oblast, Shymkent city, on a dead pigeon in an elevator shaft, 42°18'55.63"N, 69°35'8.26"E, 7.VIII 2022, 3♂, 4♀, leg. I.I. Temreshev ; Shymkent city, Shymkent Republican railway station, on food waste near the café, 42°17'53.68"N, 69°36'31.89"E, 5.IX 2022, 5♂, 7♀, leg. I.I. Temreshev.

HABITUS. The beetle is dark brown, almost black. Body length 5–6 mm, width 1.5 mm. Eyes large, spherically convex. Antennae with wide club, filiform, 11-segmented. Inner surface of the tibiae (especially the fore ones) in male covered at the apex with setae longer and denser than in the female. Pronotum with 2 depressions diverging anteriorly. Elytra with longitudinal grooves. Egg elongated with oval rounded edges; creamy milky color; length of egg 0.7 mm, diameter 0.3 mm. Larvae of last instar yellow-brown; dorsal side with a light stripe along the middle. Pupae white at first, after a few days their integuments acquire an amber color; outgrowths of tergites of abdominal segments brown, 5–7 mm long. The head of the pupa bent to the ventral side, pressed to the body, not visible from above.

HABITAT. All beetles collected in synanthropic conditions, but outside the laboratory colonies, with the exception of specimens from the National Science Center especially dangerous infections in Almaty.

DISTRIBUTION. This species is widely distributed in Asia ( China, Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia) and introduced in Europe (Macedonia, Sweden, Ukraine), Australia, Central and South America ( Lobl et al., 2008; Iwan et al., 2020; Cvetkovska-Gjorgjievska et al., 2023). Our data confirms its successful introduction in Central Asia ( Fig. 2 ).

NOTES. Apparently, the beetle U. dermestoides was deliberately brought to Kazakhstan as a traditional medicine, and then was able to penetrate into local habitats in synanthropic conditions: in stocks of grain and grain products, vegetables, fruits, and other food stocks on which it can breed. It can be expected that the species will spread not only in food storages, but also in livestock farms, poultry farms, shopping centers, homes, basements and attics.

Figures

Figs 1–2. Ulomoides dermestoides. 1 – habitus of imago, dorsal view; 2 – distribution in the world (new records in Kazakhstan marks as red).