Anthrenus

Taxobox
name = "Anthrenus"

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image_width = 220px
image_caption = Young adult of the Varied Carpet Beetle ("Anthrenus verbasci"), probably female
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
subphylum = Hexapoda
classis = Insecta
subclassis = Pterygota
infraclassis = Neoptera
superordo = Endopterygota
ordo = Coleoptera
subordo = Polyphaga
infraordo = Bostrichiformia
superfamilia = Bostrichoidea
familia = Dermestidae
subfamilia = Anthreninae (disputed)
tribus = Anthrenini
genus = "Anthrenus"
genus_authority = Schaeffer, 1766Verify source|date=July 2008
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = "Anthrenodes"
"Anthrenops"
"Anthrenus" Schaeffer, 1766Verify source|date=July 2008
"Florilinus" Mulsant & Rey, 1868
"Helocerus" Mulsant & Rey, 1868 (disputed)
"Nathrenus" Casey, 1900
"Ranthenus"
"Solskinus"

"Anthrenus", is a genus of skin beetles (family Dermestidae). Commonly known as one of the several genera of "carpet beetles", "Antrenus" is sometimes placed in a subfamily Anthreninae; sometimes that group is included in the Megatominae. The genus "Neoanthrenus" is closely related.

"Anthrenus" carpet beetles are small (a few millimetres) beetles with a rather rounded shape. Their antennae bear small clubs at the end, which are plumper in males than in females. Many have a delicate and rather pretty pattern, with a dark body covered in colorful scales of various brown, tan, red, whitish and grey hues. These scales rub off easily, and old individuals are often partially devoid of them, showing the shining black elytra. A considerable number of subspecies and varieties have been named, but it is questionable whether these are all valid or simply refer to such age-related differences. The massive number of species has been divided into several subgenera, but these are not too firmly established. The small subgenus "Helocerus" for example is sometimes entirely included in "Florilinus". Also, new species are being described every now and then.

These beetles range essentially all over the world; they have even colonized some remote oceanic islands. Most species are harmless pollen-eaters, with the long-haired larvae feeding on a wide range on dead animal or plant matter. This makes them important decomposers, which clean up decaying organisms. Some however, most notoriously the Museum Beetle ("A. museorum"), are as significant pests as many other skin beetles, infesting stored goods and especially specimens in museum collections. These species have caused considerable damage to biology by destroying valuable type specimens.

elected species

Subgenus "Anthrenodes"
* "Anthrenus ceylonicus"
* "Anthrenus distinctus"
* "Anthrenus guineaensis"
* "Anthrenus israelicus"
* "Anthrenus jordanicus"
* "Anthrenus klapperichi"
* "Anthrenus malkini"
* "Anthrenus occultus"
* "Anthrenus semenovi"
** "Anthrenus semenovi" var. "rupestris"
* "Anthrenus umbellatarum"Subgenus "Anthrenops"
* "Anthrenus bellulus"
** "Anthrenus bellulus ornatus"
* "Anthrenus cervenkai"
* "Anthrenus eichleri"
* "Anthrenus geisthardti"
* "Anthrenus hissaricus"
* "Anthrenus oculatus"
* "Anthrenus splendidus"
* "Anthrenus zebra"

Subgenus "Anthrenus"

* "Anthrenus angustefasciatus"
* "Anthrenus armstrongi"
* "Anthrenus bartolozzii"
* "Anthrenus botswaniensis"
* "Anthrenus chiton" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus delicatus" Kiesenwetter, 1851
* "Anthrenus dorsatus"
* "Anthrenus ethiopicus"
* "Anthrenus festivus" Erichson, 1846
* "Anthrenus flavidulus"
* "Anthrenus flavipes" J.L.LeConte, 1854 – Furniture Carpet Beetle
** "Anthrenus flavipes albopunctatus"
* "Anthrenus goliath" Mulsant & Rey, 1868
* "Anthrenus indicus"
* "Anthrenus kantneri"
* "Anthrenus katerinae"
* "Anthrenus kenyaensis"
* "Anthrenus latefasciatus"
* "Anthrenus lepidus" LeConte, 1854Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus merkli"
* "Anthrenus mesopotamicus"
* "Anthrenus miniopictus"
* "Anthrenus munroi" Hinton, 1943
* "Anthrenus namibicus"
* "Anthrenus nipponensis"
* "Anthrenus oceanicus" Fauvel, 1903Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus parvus" Casey, 1900Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus pfefferi"
* "Anthrenus picturatus"
** "Anthrenus picturatus arabicus"
** "Anthrenus picturatus hintoni"
** "Anthrenus picturatus makolskii"
** "Anthrenus picturatus melanoleucus"
* "Anthrenus pimpinellae" Fabricius, 1775Verify source|date=July 2008
** "Anthrenus pimpinellae isabellinus" Kuester, 1848Verify source|date=July 2008
** "Anthrenus pimpinellae mroczkowskii" Kalík, 1954
* "Anthrenus rotundulus"
* "Anthrenus scrophulariae" (Linnaeus, 1758) – Common Carpet Beetle
** "Anthrenus scrophulariae" var. "albidus"
** "Anthrenus scrophulariae" var. "gravidus"
** "Anthrenus scrophulariae" var. "suecicus" Palm, 1940
* "Anthrenus senegalensis"
* "Anthrenus simonis"
* "Anthrenus sophonisba" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus tarnawskii"
* "Anthrenus thoracicus" Melsheimer, 1846Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus x-signum"

Subgenus "Florilinus"
* "Anthrenus castaneae" Melsheimer, 1846Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus caucasicus"
* "Anthrenus coreanus"
* "Anthrenus flavidus"
* "Anthrenus hartmanni"
* "Anthrenus mugodsharicus"
* "Anthrenus museorum" (Linnaeus, 1761) – Museum Beetle
* "Anthrenus oberthueri" Reitter, 1881
* "Anthrenus olgae" Kalík, 1946
* "Anthrenus pallidus"
* "Anthrenus solskianus"
* "Anthrenus sordidulus"
* "Anthrenus sveci"
* "Anthrenus tanakai"
* "Anthrenus zhantievi"Subgenus "Helocerus"
* "Anthrenus fuscus" A.G.Olivier, 1789
* "Anthrenus minutus" Erichson, 1846
* "Anthrenus polonicus" Mroczkowski, 1951

Subgenus "Nathrenus"

* "Anthrenus albomaculatus"
* "Anthrenus albostictus"
* "Anthrenus basilewskyi"
* "Anthrenus biskrensis" Reitter, 1887
* "Anthrenus boyesi"
* "Anthrenus bulirschi"
* "Anthrenus constantini"
* "Anthrenus cordis"
* "Anthrenus exilis"
* "Anthrenus havai"
* "Anthrenus kucerai"
* "Anthrenus margarethae"
* "Anthrenus mindanaoensis"
* "Anthrenus nadeini"
* "Anthrenus natalensis"
* "Anthrenus obscurus"
* "Anthrenus preissi"
* "Anthrenus pubifer"
* "Anthrenus schawalleri"
* "Anthrenus signatus" Erichson, 1846
** "Anthrenus signatus" var. "incanus"
* "Anthrenus snizeki"
* "Anthrenus stelma"
* "Anthrenus transcaspicus"
* "Anthrenus tryznai"
* "Anthrenus undatus"
* "Anthrenus zahradniki"

Subgenus "Ranthenus"
* "Anthrenus alatauensis"
* "Anthrenus kryzhanovskii"
* "Anthrenus zeravshanicus"Subgenus "Solskinus"
* "Anthrenus assimilis"
* "Anthrenus bucharicus"
* "Anthrenus dsungaricus"
* "Anthrenus jacobsoni"
* "Anthrenus tadzhicus"
* "Anthrenus talassicus"

Subgenus undetermined
* "Anthrenus amoenulus" - "Anthrenodes" or "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus biscrensis" - "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus blanci" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus coloratus" Reitter, 1881Verify source|date=July 2008 - "Anthrenops" or "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus fucosus" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus funebris" - "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus minor" - "Anthrenodes" or "Florilinus"?
** "Anthrenus minor" ab. "unicolor"
* "Anthrenus molitor" Aubé, 1850 - "Florilinus" or "Nathrenus"?
* "Anthrenus occidens" Casey, 1900Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus omoi" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus sarnicus" – Guernsey Carpet Beetle - "Anthrenodes" or "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus signatus" - "Florilinus" or "Nathrenus"?
* "Anthrenus tuvensis" - "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus umbra" Beal, 1998Verify source|date=July 2008
* "Anthrenus ussuricus" - "Florilinus"?
* "Anthrenus verbasci" – Varied Carpet Beetle - "Florilinus" or "Nathrenus"?
** "Anthrenus verbasci" var. "nebulosus"
* "Anthrenus versicolor" Reitter, 1887 - "Florilinus" or "Nathrenus"?