Tenebrio

Tenebrio is a genus of darkling beetles.[1][2][3] 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.[3]

Tenebrio Temporal range: Eocene, 55.8–0 Ma PreꞒ Ꞓ O S D C P T J K Pg N [1]
Tenebrio molitor, known as the mealworm when larva
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Family:	Tenebrionidae
Tribe:	Tenebrionini
Genus:	Tenebrio Linnaeus, 1758

Species

The genus contains the following extant species:[2][3]

• Tenebrio molitor Linnaeus, 1758 – yellow mealworm
• Tenebrio obscurus Fabricius, 1792 – dark mealworm

Four species are known from fossils found in Germany and Canada:[1]

• Tenebrio calculensis
• Tenebrio effossus
• Tenebrio primigenius
• Tenebrio senex

References

1. "†Tenebrio Linnaeus 1758". Paleobiology Database. Fossilworks. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
2. "Tenebrio". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 4 January 2017.
3. Rees, David (21 July 2004). Insects of Stored Products. CSIRO Publishing. pp. 112–113. ISBN 978-0-643-10263-7.