Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 8, 2026

Zophobas

Zophobas is a genus of beetles in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles. They occur in the Americas, from the Neotropics into southernmost United States. In Cuba beetles of this genus are known as blind click-beetles.

Last revised
Jul 8, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
375 w
Citations
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Zophobas
Zophobas atratus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Tenebrionidae
Tribe: Tenebrionini
Genus: Zophobas
Blanchard, 1845
Species

See text

Zophobas is a genus of beetles in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles.12 They occur in the Americas, from the Neotropics into southernmost United States.2 In Cuba beetles of this genus are known as blind click-beetles.3

Perhaps the best known species is Zophobas morio, synonymously known as Zophobas atratus, a beetle whose larvae are robust mealworms sold as food for pets4 such as lizards. The larvae are known commonly as "superworms".5 Superworms should not be confused with darkling beetle mealworms sprayed with juvenile hormone.6 Studies have found that in the wild the larvae sometimes live in bat guano, and they tend to cannibalize the pupae of their own species.7 Researchers have discovered that the larvae can subsist on a diet solely of polystyrene (Styrofoam).8

Species

The following species are assigned to this genus:

  • Zophobas atratus (Fabricius, 1775)
  • Zophobas costatus Pic, 1921
  • Zophobas diversicolor Pic, 1921
  • Zophobas erosicollis Kraatz, 1880
  • Zophobas klingelhoefferi Kraatz, 1880
  • Zophobas macretus Kraatz, 1880
  • Zophobas maculicollis Kirsch, 1866
  • Zophobas opacus (Sahlberg, 1823)
  • Zophobas quadrinotatus Kraatz, 1880
  • Zophobas quadripustulatus Fabricius, 1801
  • Zophobas signatus Champion, 1885
  • Zophobas tridentatus Kraatz, 1880
References

References

  1. "Zophobas Blanchard, 1845". Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  2. "Genus Zophobas". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  3. Garrido, O. H. and E. Gutierrez. (1994). Variability of Zophobas rugipes Kirsch (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Tenebrioninii) in Cuba. Insecta Mundi. 8(3-4). Paper 284.
  4. Rumbos, C I; Athanassiou, C G (1 March 2021). "The superworm, Zophobas morio (Coleoptera:Tenebrionidae): A 'Sleeping Giant' in nutrient sources". Journal of Insect Science. 21 (2). doi:10.1093/jisesa/ieab014. eISSN 1536-2442. PMC 8033247. PMID 33834209.
  5. Darkling Beetle and Larva, Zophobas morio. Archived 2016-12-25 at the Wayback Machine Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory.
  6. Ichikawa, Toshio; Sakamoto, Hirofumi (2013). "A third type of defensive behavior in the tenebrionid beetle Zophobas atratus pupae". Journal of Insect Science. 13 (33): 1–12. doi:10.1673/031.013.3301. PMC 3735109.
  7. Tschinkel, Walter R. (1981). "Larval dispersal and cannibalism in a natural population of Zophobas atratus (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)". Animal Behaviour. 29 (4): 990–996. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(81)80052-8.
  8. Yang, Yu; Wang, Jialei; Xia, Mengli (2020). "Biodegradation and mineralization of polystyrene by plastic-eating superworms Zophobas atratus". Science of the Total Environment. 708 135233. doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.135233.