Alphitophagus bifasciatus

Distinguished from Alphitophagus obtusangulus by two pale transverse bands on the elytra; A. obtusangulus lacks these bands and has a more uniformly dark coloration. The species is small-bodied with the compact form typical of Tenebrionidae.

Associated with stored products and organic matter; found in environments where decomposing plant material or fungal growth occurs.

Cosmopolitan distribution; recorded from North America (Canada: Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan), Europe (France, Greece, Albania), and other regions worldwide.

• Raillietina cesticillus - intermediate hostCysticercoids develop in beetle abdomen; chickens acquire infection by ingesting infected beetles

Cysticercoids of Raillietina cesticillus develop in the beetle abdomen; when infected beetles are consumed by chickens, the parasite completes its life cycle in the definitive avian host.

Intermediate host for the poultry tapeworm Raillietina cesticillus, linking terrestrial invertebrate and vertebrate parasite life cycles.

Potential pest of stored products; veterinary significance as vector of poultry parasitosis.

• Alphitophagus obtusangulusSimilar size and body form, but A. obtusangulus lacks the two pale transverse elytral bands characteristic of A. bifasciatus and has a more uniformly dark coloration. A. obtusangulus is rare and has restricted distribution compared to the cosmopolitan A. bifasciatus.

• Tenebrionidae
• stored products
• veterinary parasitology
• intermediate host
• cosmopolitan

• BugGuide
• Wikipedia
• GBIF taxonomy match
• iNaturalist taxon
• NCBI Taxonomy
• Encyrtid Holdings | Entomology Research Museum
• Intermediate Host of <i>Raillietina cesticillus, Alphitophagus bifasciatus</i> (Say)
• Alphitophagus obtusangulus J. Muller, 1904 (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) : premières citations pour la France et la Grèce