A large family of dark-coloured, flightless desert beetles — including the mealworm beetle and the famous Namib fog-basking beetle that harvests drinking water from coastal fog on its textured back.
Mealworms
The most economically important species in the family is Tenebrio molitor — the mealworm beetle, whose larvae (mealworms) are the cylindrical, golden-yellow grubs widely sold as bird food, reptile feed, and increasingly as human food. Mealworms are nutritionally rich (protein ~20% dry weight, similar to beef), require minimal water, and can be farmed on food waste.
The EU approved mealworms for human consumption in 2021; mealworm flour and whole roasted mealworms are now sold in European supermarkets.
The fog-basking beetle
Stenocara gracilipes of the Namib Desert is one of biology’s most celebrated adaptations. The beetle climbs dune crests at dawn, orientates its back into the coastal fog wind, and lifts its rear end to create a slope. Its back has a texture of hydrophilic (water-attracting) bumps surrounded by hydrophobic (water-repelling) valleys. Fog droplets accumulate on the bumps, combine into larger drops, and roll down the slopes into the beetle’s mouth.
This mechanism inspired research into fog collection technologies and water-harvesting surfaces for architecture and textiles.
Stored grain pests
Several tenebrionid species are major pests of stored grain — Tribolium castaneum (red flour beetle) and Tribolium confusum (confused flour beetle) infest flour, grain, and cereals worldwide.
Find more insects by letter
Darkling Beetle starts with D and ends with E. Browse other insects along the same letter.
Insects that contain a letter from "Darkling Beetle":