CreatureData

Knock beetle

Xestobium rufovillosum (De Geer, 1774)

Status not recordedbeetles

The knock beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) is a species in the family Ptinidae, order Coleoptera. Recorded adults reach 7.51 mm in length.

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Quick facts about the knock beetle

Weight
Not recorded
Length
7.51 mm
Lifespan
Not recorded
Diet
Herbivore
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the knock beetle?

KNOCK BEETLE · LENGTH 7.51 MMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 7.51 mm, the recorded maximum length of the knock beetle is about 0.4% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the knock beetle live?

Not recorded

Where has it been introduced?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the knock beetle as introduced in 2 countries.

  1. Ireland
  2. United States

Introduced means brought by people and now present; invasive means the country's checklist records an impact. A species can be native to one part of a country and introduced in another. Source: Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species (CC BY 4.0).

Is the knock beetle endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the knock beetle classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumArthropoda
  3. classInsecta
  4. orderColeoptera
  5. familyPtinidae
  6. genusXestobium
  7. SpeciesXestobium rufovillosum (De Geer, 1774)

Synonyms Anobium fatidicus, Anobium pulsatorium, Anobium tessellatum, Byrrhus rubiginosus, Dermestes tesselatum, Ptinus faber, Ptinus fuscus, Ptinus pulsator, Ptinus rufovillosus, Xestobium faber, Xestobium fatidicum, Xestobium fuscum, Xestobium pertinax, Xestobium pulsator, Xestobium pulsatorium, Xestobium rubiginosum, Xestobium squalidum, Xestobium tessellatum

Other names and names in other languages (32)
  • Death watch beetleEnglish
  • Death-watch beetleEnglish
  • červotoč kostkovanýCzech
  • EgeborebilleDanish
  • TotenuhrGerman
  • escarabajo del reloj de la muerteSpanish
  • rautioFinnish
  • anobie rouxFrench
  • Orologio della morteItalian
  • Ąžuolinis SkaptukasLithuanian
  • eikeborebilleNorwegian Bokmål
  • HoutwormkeverDutch
  • Tykotek rudowłosPolish
  • Пёстрый точильщикRussian
  • črvotoč kockovanýSlovak
  • skäckig trägnagareSwedish
  • Saat böceğiTurkish
  • death-watch beetleroot
  • 报死窃蠹Chinese
  • Broget borebilleDanish
  • Broget dødningeurDanish
  • Bunter PochkäferGerman
  • Gescheckter NagekäferGerman
  • Dermeste à l'échiquierFrench
  • Grosse vrilletteFrench
  • horloge de la mortFrench
  • Bonte klopkeverDutch
  • Bonte knaagkeverDutch
  • DoodskloppertjeDutch
  • Grote houtwormDutch
  • Grote houtwormkeverDutch
  • Gardiyan böceğiTurkish

Catalogue of Life

Relatives of the knock beetle

Other species in the same genus Xestobium.

CompareKnock beetle vs Gaspé death-watch beetleKnock beetle vs Hyperisus carstengroehniKnock beetle vs Hyperisus decliveKnock beetle vs Hyperisus pacificus

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the knock beetle?

An adult knock beetle measures 7.51 mm long, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the knock beetle an invasive species?

The Global Register of Introduced and Invasive Species lists the knock beetle as introduced in 2 countries: Ireland and United States, but does not flag it as invasive in any of them.

What kind of animal is the knock beetle?

The knock beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum) belongs to the family Ptinidae in the order Coleoptera.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-14. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Knock beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/knock-beetle

MLA

“Knock beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/knock-beetle.

BibTeX
@misc{knock_beetle_2026,
  title = {Knock beetle (Xestobium rufovillosum)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/knock-beetle},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-14}
}