Darkling beetles
Heliotautus ruficollis
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Arthropoda Class: Insecta Order: Coleoptera Suborder: Polyphaga Superfamily: Tenebrionoidea Family: Tenebrionidae Latreille, 1802
Subfamilies
Lagriinae Phrenapatinae Pimeliinae Diaperinae Hypophloeinae Opatrinae Tenebrioninae Alleculinae Coelometopinae

Wikispecies has information related to:

Darkling beetle

Darkling beetles (also known as Darkening beetles) are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra. Darkling beetles eat both fresh and decaying vegetation. Major predators include birds, rodents, and lizards. The larval stages of several species are cultured as feeder insects for captive insectivores, and include the very commonly known mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) and superworms (Zophobas morio), and the lesser-known mini mealworms (Tenebrio obscurus). Image File history File links Size of this preview: 595 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1017 × 1024 pixel, file size: 154 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Heliotaurus ruficollis (Coleoptera, Alleculidae). ... Scientific classification redirects here. ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - spiders,scorpions, etc. ... Orders Subclass Apterygota Archaeognatha (bristletails) Thysanura (silverfish) Subclass Pterygota Infraclass Paleoptera (Probably paraphyletic) Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Superorder Exopterygota Grylloblattodea (ice-crawlers) Mantophasmatodea (gladiators) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera (angel insects) Dermaptera (earwigs) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (stick insects) Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Psocoptera... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... Infraorders Bostrichiformia Cucujiformia Elateriformia Scarabaeiformia Staphyliniformia The Polyphagans are the biggest and most diverse suborder of beetles. ... Families See text. ... Pierre André Latreille. ... Image File history File links Wikispecies-logo. ... Wikispecies is a wiki-based online project supported by the Wikimedia Foundation that aims to create a comprehensive free content catalogue of all species (including animalia, plantae, fungi, bacteria, archaea, and protista). ... For other uses, see Beetle (disambiguation). ... In biology, a species is a kind of organism. ... Elytra (sing: elytron) are modified, hardened forewings of certain insect orders, notably beetles (Coleoptera) and true bugs (Hemiptera). ... For other uses, see Bird (disambiguation). ... Suborders Sciuromorpha Castorimorpha Myomorpha Anomaluromorpha Hystricomorpha Rodentia is an order of mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must be kept short by gnawing. ... For other uses, see Lizard (disambiguation). ... A larval insect A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ... Any organism with a diet that consists chiefly of insects and similar small creatures is an insectivore. ... Binomial name Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. ...

Some species live in the dry Namib desert and have evolved modification that help them collect water from the fog that condenses on their elytra. Dune 7, one of the highest sand dunes in the world (ca. ...

Raising darkling beetles from larvae through adulthood can be a rewarding biology project for lower school educators.

Characteristics

gastronomy of beetles may be identified by a combination of features including

• an 11-segmented antenna which may be filiform, moniliform, or weho]] entire and not divided by the hind coxae
• the eyes are notched by a frontal ridge.
• the tarsi have four segments in the hind pair and 5 in the fore and mid legs. The tarsal claws are simple.

Identification

Important works include:

• Aliquò, M.Rastelli,M.,Rastelli,S., Soldati,F. "Coleotteri Tenebrionidi d'Italia - Darkling Beetles of Italy".

The CD shows the pictures of the all the italian species of Darkling Beetles (Coleoptera, Tenebrionidae - excepting Allecuninae), photographic tables for recognizing the species, and Italian distribution maps for all species and subspecies. Published by the autors,"Associazione Naturalistica Piemontese",Natural History Museum of Carmagnola (Turin - Italy) Project Biodiversty (Rome - Italy). The texts of the species file are written both in Italian and in English.See http://web.tiscali.it/tenebrionidae

Notable species

Tenebrio molitor is commonly used as food for terrestrial amniotes kept in terraria. Zophobas morio, or Superworm, is another commonly used live food insect among reptile keepers and is notable due to it being slightly larger and containing smaller amounts of chitin than Tenebrio molitor. Tribolium castaneum is a popular laboratory animal and model organism, especially in studies of intragenomic conflict and population ecology studies. These two, along with other Tribolium species (e.g. T. confusum, T. constructor) and Gnathocerus cornutus, are pests of cereal and flour silos and other storage facilities. Binomial name Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. ... Living subgroups Class Synapsida    Class Mammalia (mammals) Class Sauropsida    Anapsida        Testudines (turtles)    Diapsida        Lepidosauria           Squamata (lizards & snakes)           Sphenodontida (tuatara)        Archosauria           Crocodilia (crocodiles)           Class Aves (birds) The amniotes are a taxon of tetrapod vertebrates that include the Synapsida (mammals) and Sauropsida (reptiles and dinosaurs, including birds). ... A terrarium is a clear container (often plastic or glass) used to grow plants and to examine or hold small creatures. ... Superworm, or zophobas derived from its Latin name, is the common name for the larvae of a darkling beetle, species Zophobas morio. ... Reptilia redirects here. ... Structure of the chitin molecule, showing two of the N-Acetylglucosamine units that repeat to form long chains in beta-1,4 linkage. ... Binomial name Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 Mealworms are the larval form of the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. ... A model organism is a species that is extensively studied to understand particular biological phenomena, with the expectation that discoveries made in the organism model will provide insight into the workings of other organisms. ... The selfish gene theory postulates that natural selection will increase the frequency of those genes whose phenotypic effects ensure their successful replication. ... Grain redirects here. ... For other uses, see Flour (disambiguation). ... Bold text This article is about Storage Silos. ...

An Coelometopine from India

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 526 pixelsFull resolution (827 × 544 pixel, file size: 327 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 526 pixelsFull resolution (827 × 544 pixel, file size: 327 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ...

Rearing mealworms into adult beetles

Mealworm is a common name used for tenebrionid beetle larva. They are found in stored grain and related products. They vary in size from the very small, newly hatched larvae to final instar larvae that can be up to an inch long. An instar is a developmental stage of arthropods, such as insects, between each molt. ...

Mealworms are commonly used as feed for reptiles, fish, and birds and are so easy to find from supply companies. External links Mealworm information from the Center for Insect Science Education Outreach at the University of Arizona Another mealworm information page How to raise mealworms One Internet source for live mealworms Categories: Stub | Beetles ...

They can be grown in a wooden box or box eight to ten inches deep. They grow best in container with large surface areas. The sides should be smooth to prevent them from escaping. The mealworms are mostly nocturnal and prefer a dark environment. Some sand may be provided at the bottom.

The food for the larvae can be flour or cereals. The temperature should be even and the box well ventilated. Some moisture can be provided by way of fruits or vegetable matter. The rearing trays are best left undisturbed. Another tray should then be provided, prepared with the same food mixture as in the first. The adults should be placed in this tray to lay eggs for more young worms. As soon as these young worms have grown sufficiently to be handled they should be put in the first tray and allowed to grow as large as desired. By using a two tray system, one should be able to provide a continuous supply of worms.

External links

• Tenebrionidae.net- information and pictures about darkling beetles

A Platynotine from India

A Tock-tock from South Africa

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Tenebrionidae