Abstract
Adults of the first generation of the dermestid beetle, Thaumaglossa rufocapillata emerging from hatched egg cases of Tenodera spp. mantises in autumn, were reared under semi-natural conditions. Some adults fed on 10% honey overwintered and survived until next summer. Females laid eggs in autumn, and resumed egg laying in spring. They are considered to have the potential to overwinter as adults, although no adult of this dermestid has been collected in winter in mainland Japan. In contrast, no female overwintered when reared without food and water, or when feeding was stopped in mid-November. The results indicate that adult longevity of the first generation of this dermestid is limited, not by low temperatures in winter, but by food supply.
