Alphitobius diaperinus
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Alphitobius diaperinus (click on image to enlarge it)
Author(s): Natasha Wright, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Source: IPM Images
Author(s): Natasha Wright, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services
Source: IPM Images
Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer, 1797) - (lesser mealworm)
The beetle feeds and breeds in moist products like flour, animal feeds, various organic matters and manure. It can even cause structural damage when the larvae tunnel into walls in order to construct pupation sites. It is found in mills, chicken and pig farms or in storage facilities. Populations can reach very high densities in poultry farms and it can transmit diseases to poultry when they feed on the beetles.
| Vernacular names | |
|---|---|
| • Deutsch: | Glänzendschwarzer Getreideschimmelkäfer |
| • English: | lesser mealworm litter beetle |
| • Français: | ténébrion (petit) mat |
It is apparently native to sub-Saharan Africa, but has now a world-wide distribution. The life cycle is 5 to 8 weeks. The beetle has 6-11 larval stages and the adults are about 6 mm long.
- Other images of Alphitobius diaperinus (Wikimedia Commons, IPM Images and PaDIL - click to enlarge)
infestation in poultry cage
head
head
posterior end
ventral view of thorax
