Red flour beetle

red flour beetle
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Tenebrionidae
Genus:	Tribolium
Species:	T. castaneum
Binomial name
Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797)

The red flour beetle is a tenebrionid beetle. It is a worldwide stored product pest.

Red flour beetles attack stored grain products (flour, cereals, pasta, biscuits, beans, nuts, etc.) causing loss and damage. They may cause an allergic response but are not known to spread disease and cause no damage to structures or furniture.

The red flour beetle is of Indo-Australian origin and less able to survive outdoors than the closely related species Tribolium confusum. It has, as a consequence, a more southern distribution, though both species are worldwide in heated premises. The adults are long-lived and may live for more than three years.

Tribolium castaneum

References

• Granousky TA. 1997. "Stored Product Pests". In Handbook of Pest Control, 8th Ed. Hedges SA, Moreland D (editors). Mallis Handbook and Technical Training Company.

See also

• Home stored product entomology.
• Flour beetle

External links

• Tribolium castaneum genome project

• Tribolium species are hard to identify. Here are four species side by side.Note that several species of Tribolium may occur in the same infestation.Colpolon

• Confused and red flour beetles on the UF / IFAS Featured Creatures Web site