The confused flour beetle (''Tribolium confusum''), a type of
darkling beetle
Darkling beetle is the common name for members of the beetle family Tenebrionidae. The number of species in the Tenebrionidae is estimated at more than 20,000 and the family is cosmopolitan in distribution.
Taxonomy
''Tenebrio'' is the Latin gen ...
known as a
flour beetle
Flour beetles are members of the darkling beetle genera '' Tribolium'' or ''Tenebrio''. They are pests of cereal silos and are widely used as laboratory animals, as they are easy to keep. The flour beetles consume wheat and other grains, are adap ...
, 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.
[Lyon WF. Confused and ref flour beetles. ''Ohio State Fact Sheets''. (15 April 2010).](_blank)
/ref>
The "confused" in the beetle's name is due to it being confused with the red flour beetle
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 and food safety r ...
, not because of its walking pattern.[Baldwin R, Fasulo TR. (2010). Confused flour beetle, ''Tribolium confusum'' Jacquelin du Val, and red flour beetle, ''Tribolium castaneum'' (Herbst). ''Featured Creatures''. (15 April 2010).]
Description
The confused flour beetle is very similar in appearance and habit to the red flour beetle
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 and food safety r ...
, ''Tribolium castaneum'' and the destructive flour beetle, ''Tribolium destructor''. Both the confused flour beetle and red flour beetle are small, about 3–6 mm (1/8-1/4 inch) in length, and reddish-brown in color. The primary distinguishing physical difference is the shape of their antennae: the confused flour beetle's antennae increase gradually in size and have four clubs, while the red flour beetle's antennae have only three. Additionally, red flour beetles have been known to fly short distances, while confused flour beetles do not. ''Tribolium destructor'' is much darker than either and less common.
Ecology
While confused (and red) flour beetles cannot feed on whole, undamaged grain, they are often found in large numbers in infested grains, feeding on broken grain, grain dust, and other household food items such as flour, rice
Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...
, dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...
, nuts, and beans. Both types of beetles are often found not only in infested grains, but in crevices in pantries and cabinet, as well. Damage to food is caused somewhat by the beetles' feeding, but also by their dead bodies, fecal pellets, and foul-smelling secretions. In addition to creating a foul odor, the beetles' presence encourages the growth of mold
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. Not ...
.
Confused flour beetles are a common model organism in science. Several confused flour beetles were experimental subjects on the Bion 1
Kosmos 605 (russian: link=no, Космос 605), or Bion 1, was a Bion satellite. Kosmos 605 was the first of eleven Bion satellites.
Launch
Kosmos 605 was launched by a Soyuz-U rocket flying from Site 43/3 at the Plesetsk Cosmodrome in th ...
spacecraft, launched in 1973.
See also
*Home stored product entomology
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 five major categories of insects considered in this article are flour beet ...
References
Further reading
* Walter VE. 1990. 'Stored product pests'. ''Handbook of Pest Control'' (Story K, Moreland D. (eds.)). Franzak & Foster Co., Cleveland, OH. pp. 526–529.
External links
Close-up photo on pbase.com
*''Tribolium'' species are hard to identify. Here are four species side by side. Note that several species of ''Tribolium'' may occur in the same infestatio
{{Taxonbar, from=Q4501895
Tenebrionidae
Agricultural pest insects
Storage pests
Household pest insects
Beetles described in 1863
Animal models
Stored-product pests