| Tenebroides mauritanicus | |
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| Species: | T. mauritanicus |
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| Tenebroides mauritanicus | |
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Tenebroides mauritanicus, commonly known as the cadelle, is a species of beetle in the family Trogossitidae. It is a common cosmopolitan pest in storehouses and granaries.
T. mauritanicus was first described in 1758 by Linnaeus in his 10th edition of Systema Naturae, [1] who named it Tenebrio mauritanicus and classified it with the mealworms. A few decades later in 1790, the French entomologist Guillaume-Antoine Olivier proposed for it the generic name of Trogossite. For many years thereafter, the beetle was known as Trogosita mauritanica and was included in the family of beetles known as the Trogositidae.
In 1783, a specimen described under the name of Tenebroides complantus [2] was recognised as Linnaeus’s original specimen of Tenebrio mauritanicus, leading to the proposal of the current name of Tenebroides mauritanicus.
The widely accepted common name cadelle comes from the French vernacular, [3] and in its modern meaning refers to both adults and larvae.
The specific epithet mauritanicus means Mauritanian, in reference to the species’ supposed African origin. [4] [5]
The larvae were nicknamed "bargemen" by sailors because they often infested ships' biscuits and were noticed when they crawled out of the biscuits and onto the "barge", a small tub used to hold biscuits on the mess table. [6]
Having probably originated in North Africa, [4] [5] the cadelle has now spread through human agency to most other parts of the world in exported grain products and dunnage. It probably first spread to Europe in Roman times. [5] Although primarily synanthropic, it is less commonly found in wild habitats [7]
Resembling a carabid, the cadelle is a rather large beetle with a slightly flattened, elongated body, measuring 6 – 12 mm in length. The larvae can measure up to 20 mm long. [5] The body is shiny black or dark brown with reddish brown legs and antennae. The head is very large with broad temples behind almost flattened eyes. The head and pronotum are coarsely punctured. There is also deep neck between the head and elytra, and the prominent sharp claws are adapted for biting. [8]
A female can lay about 1000 eggs in her lifetime but typically lays eggs in groups of about 50, loosely placed among food products. These hatch in about 10 days, depending on ambient temperature. [8]
The larvae feed on a variety of stored foods such as nuts, grains, and dried fruit. As they develop, the juveniles begin to take live animal prey. Meanwhile, the adults are exclusively carnivorous, feeding on other insects such as Tribolium (flour beetles) and Rhyzopertha (false powderpost beetles). [5] Sometimes, adults will eat other adults of their own species. [9]
This species can go for long periods without food, over 50 days for adults and over 120 days for larvae. [8]
Among the Trogossitidae, the cadelle is the only species to infest stored grain and food products. [10] In general, the larvae only eat the soft parts of grains such as wheat and oats, so they can be very destructive. Adults, with their sharp claws, can gnaw holes in packaging, exposing foods to attack by other pest species. [11] They can also bore into wood, typically pupating in the wood cavities they make.
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 2.5 centimetres (0.98 in) or more, whereas adults are generally 1.25 to 1.8 centimetres in length.
Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae, comprising over 20,000 species in a cosmopolitan distribution.
Dermestidae are a family of Coleoptera that are commonly referred to as skin beetles. Other common names include larder beetle, hide or leather beetles, carpet beetles, and khapra beetles. There are over 1,800 species described.
The drugstore beetle, also known as the bread beetle, biscuit beetle, and misnamed as the biscuit weevil, is a tiny, brown beetle that can be found infesting a wide variety of dried plant products, where it is among the most common non-weevils to be found. It is the only living member of the genus Stegobium. It belongs to the family Ptinidae, which also includes the deathwatch beetle and furniture beetle. A notable characteristic of this species is the symbiotic relationship they have with the yeast they carry which are transmitted from female to larvae through the oviduct.
The wheat weevil, also known as the grain weevil or granary weevil, is an insect that feeds on cereal grains, and is a common pest in many places. It can cause significant damage to harvested stored grains and may drastically decrease crop yields. The females lay many eggs and the larvae eat the inside of the grain kernels.
The timberman beetle is a species of woodboring beetle belonging to the longhorn beetle family.
The khapra beetle, also called cabinet beetle, which originated in South Asia, is one of the world's most destructive pests of grain products and seeds. It is considered one of the 100 worst invasive species in the world. Infestations are difficult to control because of the insect's ability to survive without food for long periods, its preference for dry conditions and low-moisture food, and its resistance to many insecticides. There is a federal quarantine restricting the importation of rice into the U.S. from countries with known infestations of the beetle. Khapra beetle infestation can spoil otherwise valuable trade goods and threaten significant economic losses if introduced to a new area. Handling or consuming contaminated grain and seed products can lead to health issues such as skin irritation and gastrointestinal distress.
Cleridae are a family of beetles of the superfamily Cleroidea. They are commonly known as checkered beetles. The family Cleridae has a worldwide distribution, and a variety of habitats and feeding preferences.
Oryzaephilus surinamensis, the sawtoothed grain beetle, is a beetle in the superfamily Cucujoidea. It is a common, worldwide pest of grain and grain products as well as chocolate, drugs, and tobacco. The species' binomial name, meaning "rice-lover from Suriname," was coined by Carl Linnaeus, who received specimens of the beetle from Surinam. It is also known as the malt beetle and may be referenced in the poem This Is The House That Jack Built in the line "....the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built" the malt referenced may not be actual malted grain but a sawtoothed grain beetle.
The foreign grain beetle is a species of beetle in the family Silvanidae. It is related to the sawtoothed grain beetle.
Home-stored product entomology is the study of insects which infest foodstuffs stored in the home. It deals with the prevention, detection and eradication of the pests.
The confused flour beetle, 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 pests for grain and other food products stored in silos, warehouses, grocery stores, and homes.
Otiorhynchus ovatus, the strawberry root weevil, is one of the many species in the weevil family (Curculionidae), occurring across Canada and the northern United States. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his landmark 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Its name comes from its affinity for strawberry plants, which form a large part of its diet. They are, however, known to feed on other plants as well. Occasionally the larvae cause serious damage to seedlings and young transplants in plantations and nurseries. It is known to be one of the major pests threatening sub-tropical strawberry farming.
Rhyzopertha is a monotypic genus of beetles in the family Bostrichidae, the false powderpost beetles. The sole species, Rhyzopertha dominica, is known commonly as the lesser grain borer, American wheat weevil, Australian wheat weevil, and stored grain borer. It is a beetle commonly found within store bought products and pest of stored cereal grains located worldwide. It is also a major pest of peanuts. The first documentation of wheat infestation by R. dominica was observed in Australia. R. dominica are usually reddish brown to dark brown in coloration, vary in sizes, elongated and cylindrical.
The maize weevil, known in the United States as the greater rice weevil, is a species of beetle in the family Curculionidae. It can be found in numerous tropical areas around the world, and in the United States, and is a major pest of maize. This species attacks both standing crops and stored cereal products, including wheat, rice, sorghum, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, peas, and cottonseed. The maize weevil also infests other types of stored, processed cereal products such as pasta, cassava, and various coarse, milled grains. It has even been known to attack fruit while in storage, such as apples.
Anthrenocerus australis is a species of beetle belonging to the Dermestidae family. It is commonly known as the Australian carpet beetle and is one of the most researched of the thirty-one species in the Anthrenocerus genus. This is generally attributed to its prevalence throughout Australia and New Zealand and the negative economic and agricultural impact it has as a pest. It is the larvae that causes damage to products, not the adult beetle. The total life cycle of this insect is around three years, most of which is spent as a larva. Once the beetle reaches maturity, it only lives for between two and six weeks.
Alphitobius diaperinus is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles. It is known commonly as the lesser mealworm and the litter beetle. It has a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring nearly worldwide. It is known widely as a pest insect of stored food grain products such as flour, and of poultry-rearing facilities and it is a vector of many kinds of animal pathogens. In larval form, it is an approved novel food in the European Union, and also used as feed.
Carpophilus is a genus of sap beetles. Several species are agricultural pests, typically causing feeding damage to a variety of fruits, grains and other food products worldwide. The genus contains a great number of species.
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.
Necrobia violacea is a species of beetle in family Cleridae. Cleridae beetles are a predaceous beetle found within forest and woodland environments, and can be associated with stored food products as both pests and predators of other insects.
See also Home stored product entomology