dermestid

British  

/ ˌdɜːˈmɛstɪd /

noun

1. any beetle of the family Dermestidae, whose members are destructive at both larval and adult stages to a wide range of stored organic materials such as wool, fur, feathers, and meat. They include the bacon ( or larder), cabinet, carpet, leather, and museum beetles

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Etymology

Origin of dermestid

C19: from New Latin dermestida, from Greek dermēstēs, from derma skin + esthiein to eat

Example Sentences

Jess manages an osteology prep lab without squeam, cleaning animal carcasses with dermestid beetles; and recovers Lexington from the natural history museum’s attic.

From New York Times • Jun. 7, 2022

Within days of starting, she was having dreams about dermestid scavenger beetles.

From Chicago Tribune • Oct. 27, 2014

This is because flesh-eating beetles — aka dermestid beetles — prefer dead things.

From Chicago Tribune • Oct. 27, 2014

The osteo-prep lab is not open to the public, but you can watch a video about how the dermestid beetles work at youtu.be/7PhsWtHrE0Q.

From Washington Post • Jan. 25, 2014

The flesh-eating larvae of the dermestid beetle are used by museums to strip clean the bones of animals so that their skeletons can be mounted for display.

From Time Magazine Archive