ID needed.

[Violet]

This ID is going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible. I’m hoping the species in question is a cosmopolitan species rather then one endemic to New Zealand.

Heres the story:
I have had a Pied Shag (Phalacrocorax varius) skull decomposing for afew weeks in my garden, after the flies and maggots had eaten most of the flesh I started to notice tiny beetles in the remaining dried flesh and feathers. Several days later, the beetles are no where to be seen but what appears to be their larve and pupae and hanging out in the skull.

Photos:

Close up:

I can’t find anyone with a colony of dermestid beetles in New Zealand although I have heard they are around. I’m wondering if I could perhaps use this species as a substitute.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[ZephAmp]

Definitely not Dermestes.
The larvae there sort of remind me of some sort of tenebrionid...

 

[Violet]

Definitely not Dermestes.
The larvae there sort of remind me of some sort of tenebrionid...

I'm not willing to rule out Dermestidae completely, It's a huge family.

I should mention, the larve are around 1mm long. Very small.

 

[ZephAmp]

If the larvae aren't fuzzy I'd doubt they're Dermestidae.
Those weird hairs remind me of the ones on carrion beetle pupae; Like Necrophila, Oiceoptoma, etc. The larvae are throwing me off though. :/

 

[Violet]

If the larvae aren't fuzzy I'd doubt they're Dermestidae.
Those weird hairs remind me of the ones on carrion beetle pupae; Like Necrophila, Oiceoptoma, etc. The larvae are throwing me off though. :/

Perhaps the larvae are a different species?

They look a little like grain beetle larve but I'm unsure why they would be in the rotting flesh?

http://srufaculty.sru.edu/david.dailey/public/Webster1911/insects/Grain_Beetles_p-938.gif

 

[cacoseraph]

one thing that might be different between the grain beetle pic and what you have are the mouth parts. it looks like your guys have fairly beefy mouth pinchers. the grain beetle larva don't have that mean of thorns on their face, it looks like

i'm curious to see what you have. i have really taken a new appreciation to little mass producable bugs in the last few years


edit:
also, it does kinda look like there are two dif things in there. one kind has a swelled head (i assume) and the other has a more symmetrical head and back side

 

[Violet]

Mystery solved, several of the pupae have turned into tiny white moths, I'll get some photos up soon.

Thanks for the help, we were close...

 

[ZephAmp]

I knew those larvae looked a little weird! XD