Flour beetles are members of several darkling beetle genera including Tribolium and Tenebrio. They are pests of cereal silos and are widely used as laboratory animals, as they are easy to keep. The flour beetles consume wheat and other grains, are adapted to survive in very dry environments, and can withstand even higher amounts of radiation than cockroaches.[1] They are a major pest in the agricultural industry and are highly resistant to insecticides.[dubious – discuss]
Red flour beetles infest multiple different types of products such as grains, cereals, spices, seeds, and even cake mixes. They are also very susceptible to insecticides, which makes their damage very impactful on the economy of milling industries.[2]
The larvae of T. molitor, when full-grown, are known as mealworms; small specimens and the larvae of the other species are called mini mealworms.
Female reproduction is distributed over their adult life-span which lasts about a year. Flour beetles also display pre-mating discrimination among potential mates. Female flour beetles, specifically of T. castaneum, can mate with different males and may choose more attractive males over the course of their adult life-span.[3]
^Tuncbilek, A.S.; Ayvaz, A.; Öztürk, F.; Kaplan, B. (2003). "Gamma radiation sensitivity of larvae and adults of the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum Herbst". Journal of Pest Science. 76 (5): 129–132. doi:10.1007/s10340-003-0002-9. S2CID 21344878.
^Yao, Jianxiu; Chen, Chengyu; Wu, Hua; Chang, Jing; Silver, Kristopher; Campbell, James F.; Arthur, Frank H.; Zhu, Kun Yan (2019-12-01). "Differential susceptibilities of two closely-related stored product pests, the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and the confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum), to five selected insecticides". Journal of Stored Products Research. 84: 101524. doi:10.1016/j.jspr.2019.101524. ISSN 0022-474X.
^Fedina, Tatyana Y.; Lewis, Sara M. (21 April 2018). "An integrative view of sexual selection in Tribolium flour beetles". Biological Reviews. 83 (2): 151–171. doi:10.1111/j.1469-185X.2008.00037.x. PMID 18429767. S2CID 9074999.
Flourbeetles are members of several darkling beetle genera including Tribolium and Tenebrio. They are pests of cereal silos and are widely used as laboratory...
The red flourbeetle (Tribolium castaneum) is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles. The red flourbeetle, and other closely...
The confused flourbeetle (Tribolium confusum), a type of darkling beetle known as a flourbeetle, is a globally found, common pest insect known for attacking...
destructive or dark flourbeetle (Tribolium destructor), is one of the species of darkling beetle known generally as flourbeetles. It is a common pest...
insects such as Tribolium castaneum (red flourbeetle) or Tribolium confusum (confused flourbeetle) which damage flour crops primarily. Crops can be completely...
Tenebrio is the Latin generic name that Carl Linnaeus assigned to some flourbeetles in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae 1758-59. The name means "lover...
Gnatocerus cornutus, or the broadhorned flourbeetle, is a common species of beetle in the Tenebrionidae family. It is distributed worldwide and is commonly...
confused with younger mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) or with the confused flourbeetle (Tribolium confusum). Tenebrio obscurus larvae resemble very small mealworms...
Mediterranean flour moth, the Indian mealmoth, the cigarette beetle, the drugstore beetle, the confused flourbeetle, the red flourbeetle, the merchant...
Palorus subdepressus, the depressed flourbeetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae. It is found in Europe and North America...
Acinetobacter sp. AnTc-1, isolated from the gut of plastivorous red flourbeetle larvae, can likewise degrade polystyrene on its own. Ideonella sakaiensis...
behavior is also prominent in many other insect species, including the red flourbeetle, the adzuki bean weevil, and the species of spider Stegodyphus lineatus...
some insects, cannibalism is used to control population. In confused flourbeetles, population density is lowered by cannibalism when crowding occurs....
precedence in malathion resistance transmission in populations of the red flourbeetle Tribolium castaneum" (PDF). Journal of Stored Products Research. 33 (2 ed...
fighting with the same bacteria. Other experimental model based on red flourbeetle also showed pathogen specific primed memory transfer into offspring from...
Aphanotus brevicornis, the North American flourbeetle, is a species of flourbeetle in the family Tenebrionidae. It is a pest of stored foodstuff, particularly...
darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae), containing flourbeetles, among others. Tenebrioninae contains more than 20 tribes. Adults are robust, mid-sized beetles that...
include the confused flourbeetle (preferred host), red flourbeetle, sawtoothed grain beetle, merchant grain beetle, and rusty grain beetle. Amante, Marco;...
frogs, they eat a staple diet of fruit flies, pinhead crickets, rice flourbeetle larvae, isopods, and springtails. Amphibians and Reptiles portal Animals...
anilis fly and in the flourbeetle, females choose sperm from a number of different storage locations.: 169 In the red flourbeetle, females often possess...
Latheticus oryzae (common name long headed flourbeetle) is a species of beetle. This beetle is light brown in color with elongated body measuring 2-3 mm...
ends up fertilizing the most eggs. An example of this is seen in Red FlourBeetles, where most of the sperm is stored in the first mating. Another male...
live foods, such as tubifex worms, bean beetles (and larvae), bloodworms, brine shrimp, daphnia, flourbeetles, krill, springtails, small or finely-chopped...
adaptive evolutionary ability is the red flourbeetle. Selection acting on the body color of the red flourbeetle was found to be more consistent in large...
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