Tenebrio
| Tenebrio | |
|---|---|
| |
| Tenebrio molitor adult | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae |
| Tribe: | Tenebrionini |
| Genus: | Tenebrio Linnaeus, 1758 |
| Species | |
| |
Tenebrio is a genus of darkling beetles.[2][3] Adults are 12–18 mm (0.47–0.71 in) long and can live for 1–2 years. The larvae are minor pests, but they are also widely reared and sold as pet food.[3]
Species[]
The genus contains the following extant species:[2][3]
- Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 – yellow mealworm
- Tenebrio obscurus Fabricius, 1792 – dark mealworm
Four species are known from fossils found in Germany and Canada:[1][4]
- Scudder, 1895 - (Pleistocene, Leda Clay, Canada)
- Germar, 1837 - (Oligocene, Rott Formation, Germany)
- Scudder, 1879 - (Ypresian, Allenby Formation, Canada)
- Von Heyden, 1859 - (Oligocene, Rott Formation, Germany)
References[]
- ^ a b "†Tenebrio Linnaeus 1758". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
- ^ a b "Tenebrio". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
- ^ a b c Rees, David (21 July 2004). Insects of Stored Products. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-0-643-10263-7.
- ^ Scudder, S. H (1895). "Canadian fossil insects, myriapods and arachnids, Vol II. The Coleoptera hitherto found fossil in Canada". Geological Survey of Canada Contributions to Canadian Palaeontology. 2: 5–26.
Categories:
- Tenebrionidae genera
- Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
- Extant Eocene first appearances
- Eocene insects of North America
- Oligocene animals of Europe
- Pet foods