''Tenebrio obscurus'', or the dark mealworm beetle, is a species of

darkling beetle Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae. The number of species in the Tenebrionidae is estimated at more than 20,000 and the family is cosmopolitan in distribution. Taxonomy ''Tenebrio'' is the Latin ge ...

. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. Th ...

e, when used as

feeder insect Live food is living animals used as food for other carnivorous or omnivorous animals kept in captivity; in other words, small preys (such as insects, small fish or rodents) fed alive to larger predators kept either in a zoo or as a pet. Live ...

s for reptile and amphibian pets, are known as mini mealworm. These insects should not be confused with younger mealworms (''

Tenebrio molitor Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, ''Tenebrio molitor'', a species of darkling beetle. Like all holometabolic insects, they go through four life stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about or ...

'') or with the

confused flour beetle The confused flour beetle (''Tribolium confusum''), a type of darkling beetle known as a flour beetle, is a common pest insect known for attacking and infesting stored flour and grain. They are one of the most common and most destructive insect pe ...

('' Tribolium confusum''), which is also occasionally used as a reptile feeder insect. Mini mealworms would probably remain largely unknown, if not for the

reptile pet Herpetoculture is the keeping of live reptiles and amphibians in captivity, whether as a hobby or as a commercial breeding operation. "Herps" is an informal term for both reptiles and amphibians, shortened from the scientific umbrella term “herp ...

industry. In the search for easy to raise insects to use as food for captive reptiles and amphibians, mini mealworms have recently attracted interest as an ideal food item for smaller species. The larvae resemble very small mealworms, about ½ to ¾ inch (12 to 19 mm) in size. Once they reach adult size, the larvae

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

te, and later emerge as small, black beetles.

References

External links

A photo of an adult ''Tenebrio obscurus''

Information and photos from ZipcodeZoo.com
{{Taxonbar, from=Q7699678 Tenebrionidae Pet foods Beetles described in 1792 Taxa named by Johan Christian Fabricius