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TRUE DARKLING BEETLES

TENEBRIONIDAE: TENEBRIONINAE

T

he Tenebrioninae is the second largest of

the subfamilies of Tenebrionidae, and is

distributed worldwide. It has been divided into

29 tribes. The genus Tenebrio (tribe Tenebrionini)

includes the familiar orange-brown-colored

mealworm beetles, the larvae of which are bred in

huge numbers as food for pets and wild birds, and

even made into flour for human consumption.

They are called mealworms because they

breed in oatmeal and flour, and were

a stored-product pest. This showed

that they were preadapted to dry

indoor conditions and could

be easily reared on cheap,

available foods, so they were

ideal for domestication.

Some species are

associated with human

dwellings. For example, the

European genus Blaps (tribe

Blaptini), the Cellar or

Churchyard Beetle, was

formerly common around stables

and granaries but declined with

increasing chemical use and

the decline of horse-drawn transport.

However, the majority of Tenebrioninae are

subfamily

Tenebrioninae

known species

7,000

distribution

Worldwide, but particularly the Old

World tropics

habitat

Forests, also human-altered habitats

size

2–40 mm

diet

Larvae often in dead wood. Adults are

general detritivores and scavengers

notes

Many Tenebrioninae have well-developed

horns on the head, which are present only

in the males, and, as in some other beetle

groups, these vary in size and seem to have

some role in mate selection. Horns are

relatively uncommon in Tenebrionoidea,

but occur in several tribes of Tenebrioninae

TENEBRIONIDAE: TENEBRIONINAE

below | Ammodonus fossor Found in

sandy forest clearings in continental

USA. It may even benefit from

occasional fires.