| Darkling beetles | |
|---|---|
| Alphitobius sp. (Tenebrioninae: Alphitobiini) Scale bar (top right) is 2 millimeters |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Suborder: | Polyphaga |
| Superfamily: | Tenebrionoidea |
| Family: | Tenebrionidae Latreille, 1802 |
| Subfamilies | |
|
Alleculinae |
|
Darkling beetles (also known as darkening beetles) are a family of beetles found worldwide, estimated at more than 20,000 species. Many of the beetles have black elytra, leading to 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). When the beetle first hatches from the pupa stage, it will be a creamy white, then brown, and finally black.
This family of beetles may be identified by a combination of features, including :