Red Flour Beetle

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Tribolium castaneum: /traɪˈboʊliəm kæˈstæniəm/

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Summary

Tribolium castaneum, or the red flour beetle, is a small beetle species in the family Tenebrionidae, widely recognized as a pest of stored food products. It exhibits polyandrous behavior and is significant in research as a model organism.

Physical Characteristics

Adults are small, around 3–4 mm long with a uniform rust, brown, or black color. The head and pronotum are sometimes darker than the rest of the body.

Habitat

Commonly found in warm and often dry conditions, particularly in granaries, flour mills, and feed mills. These beetles are also frequently found in imported produce on cargo ships.

Distribution

Widely distributed, most common in the southwestern United States but originally of Indo-Australian origin. Now cosmopolitan but more common in warmer regions; prevalent throughout the Prairie Provinces in Canada.

Diet

Secondary pest of a wide range of cereals, cereal products, legumes, oilseeds and cakes, nuts, spices, and animal products. Prefers damaged grain but can attack sound grain, especially with high moisture content.

Life Cycle

The adult is long-lived, sometimes living more than three years. Although previously regarded as relatively sedentary, research shows considerable dispersal by flight.

Reproduction

Females exhibit polyandrous mating behavior, mating with multiple males during a single copulation period. Male competition and sperm removal dynamics affect fertilization success.

Ecosystem Role

Red flour beetles are pests of stored food products, causing significant loss and damage. They play an important role in food safety research and the study of entomology.

Economic Impact

Major pests in stored products, particularly affecting food grains, leading to economic damage in food storage sectors.

Cultural Significance

Red flour beetles are essential in food safety research and agricultural practices, serving as model organisms in various genetic and ecological studies.

Collecting Methods

• Trapping
• Sampling from infested food stores

Preservation Methods

• Drying
• Preserving in ethanol
• Freezing

Similar Taxa

• Tribolium confusum
• Gnatocerus cornutus

Tags

• Red Flour Beetle
• Tribolium castaneum
• Pest
• Food Safety
• Model Organism