Red flour beetle
| Red flour beetle | |
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| Species: | T. castaneum
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| Tribolium castaneum (Herbst, 1797)
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The red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) is a species of beetle in the family Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles. It is a worldwide pest of stored products, particularly food grains, and a model organism for ethological research.
The red flour beetle attacks stored grain and other food products, including flour, cereals, pasta, biscuits, beans, and nuts, causing loss and damage. It may cause an allergic response but is not known to spread disease or cause 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, the confused flour beetle. It has, as a consequence, a more southern distribution, though both species are worldwide in heated environments. The adult is long-lived, sometimes living more than three years. Although previously regarded as a relatively sedentary insect, it has been shown in molecular and ecological research to disperse considerable distances by flight.[1]
This species closely resembles the confused flour beetle, except with three clubs at the end of each of its antennae.
See also
References
- ^
Ridley, A.; et al. (2011). "The spatiotemporal dynamics of Tribolium castaneum (Herbst): adult flight and gene flow". Molecular Ecology. 20 (8). doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2011.05049.x.
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External links
- Tribolium castaneum genome. Beetlebase.
- Tribolium species comparison.
- Confused and red flour beetles. University of Florida IFAS.
Further reading
- Granousky, T. A. 1997. "Stored Product Pests". In: Handbook of Pest Control, 8th Ed. Hedges, S.A. and D. Moreland (editors). Mallis Handbook and Technical Training Company.