Guardian Nature School Team Contact Blog Project Noah Facebook Project Noah Twitter

A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife

Join Project Noah!
nature school apple icon

Project Noah Nature School visit nature school

Darkling beetle

Tenebrionoidea

Description:

Darkling beetles are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra, hence their common name. Apart from the 9 subfamilies listed here, the tribe Opatrini of the Tenebrioninae is sometimes considered a distinct family, and/or the Pimeliinae are included in the Tenebrioninae as a tribe Pimeliini. Darkling beetles eat both fresh and decaying vegetation. Major predators include birds, rodents, sunspiders, and lizards. Some species live in the dry Namib desert and have evolved modifications that help them collect water from the fog that condenses on their elytra. 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).

Habitat:

This beetle is found in temperate and other regions around the world. They usually live in dark, cool, moist places, like under rocks and logs.

Species ID Suggestions



Sign in to suggest organism ID

No Comments

15tmartin
Spotted by
15tmartin

Maryland, USA

Spotted on May 22, 2014
Submitted on May 23, 2014

Related Spottings

Tumbling Flower Beetles  ♂ ♀ Blister Beetle Blister Beetle Blister Beetle (mating pair)

Nearby Spottings

Stinkbug Spotting Spotting Spotting
Noah Guardians
Noah Sponsors
join Project Noah Team

Join the Project Noah Team