Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 29, 2026

Tenebrio

Tenebrio is a genus of darkling beetles. 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.

Last revised
Jul 29, 2026
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≈ 1 min
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Tenebrio
Temporal range: Ypresian - Recent1
Tenebrio molitor adult
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Tenebrionidae
Subfamily: Tenebrioninae
Tribe: Tenebrionini
Genus: Tenebrio
Linnaeus, 1758
Species

See text

Tenebrio is a genus of darkling beetles.23 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:234

  • Tenebrio culinaris Linnaeus, 1758
  • Tenebrio guineensis Imhoff, 1843
  • Tenebrio giganteus (Gmelin, 1790)
  • Tenebrio grandicollis (Fairmaire, 1897)
  • Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 – yellow mealworm
  • Tenebrio obscurus Fabricius, 1792 – dark mealworm
  • Tenebrio opacus Duftschmid, 1812
  • Tenebrio patrizii Gridelli, 1958
  • Tenebrio punctipennis Seidlitz, 1896
  • Tenebrio zairensis Ferrer, 1998

Four species are known from fossils found in Germany and Canada:15

References

References

  1. "†Tenebrio Linnaeus 1758". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 17 December 2021.
  2. "Tenebrio". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
  3. Rees, David (21 July 2004). Insects of Stored Products. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-0-643-10263-7.
  4. "Genus Tenebrio". Insecta.pro. Insects catalog Insecta.pro, 2007—2022. 2017-08-16. Retrieved 2022-08-23.
  5. 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.