Mealworm

Mealworm, the common name for the larva of the beetle Tenebrio molitor, the flour beetle (family Tenebrionidae). The beetle is black or dark brown with reddish-brown legs and a similarly colored underside (length 13-15 mm). In the latter half of summer, the beetle is often found in houses. The worm-like larva, up to 28 mm long, is covered with a hard chitinous shell of yellowish-brown color; it lives in flour and feeds on it. The pupal stage lasts 2-3 weeks (mid-summer). It is a warehouse pest. The larva is used as feed for birds. Tenebrio molitor plays a role in parasitology, as it is an intermediate host of the rat tapeworm (Hymenolepis diminuta), which can be a parasite of humans. Additionally, Tenebrio molitor and Tenebrio obscurus, in both adult and larval stages, serve as intermediate hosts for the roundworm Gongylonema (see), with respect to which Sambon expressed the hypothesis about its role in the etiology of carcinomas in humans.