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Cadelle (Tenebroides mauritanicus)
Image by USDA-ARS-GMPRC Image Database - License: Public Domain. (view image details)
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Cadelle (Tenebroides mauritanicus) larvae
Image by USDA-ARS-GMPRC Image Database - License: Public Domain. (view image details)
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CADELLE BEETLE FACTS |
Identification
The adult Cadelle Beetle is a shiny black insect with an elongated flattened body. It has a distinct "waist" between the thorax and the wing covers. Males have lots of very fine punctures on the underside of the abdomen, whereas females have fewer coarser punctures. The larva is white to pale grey with a black head, two pairs of black patches on the back and two black horns at the tip of the abdomen.
Size
length: adult beetle 8mm to 11mm, larvae to 20mm
Habitat
found in grain stores and mills. Larvae also bore into timber and through sacks, causing damage to the storage as well as the product. They prefer dimly lit areas with cracks and crevices to hide in.
Food
The larvae is a pest of stored food feeding on grain, flour, meal, biscuits, bread, vegetables, dried fruits and other stored products. They feed on whole grains as well as processed grain products. They can also be a pest in the pantry in the house, where adults and larvae feed on cereals, nuts, fruit and can chew through packaging to access the food. The beetle is a predator of larvae of other grain-infesting insect pests such as the Indian Meal Moth (Plodia interpunctella) and the Saw-toothed Grain Beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis)
Breeding
The females lay eggs in flour, grain, or other food products. The eggs hatch and the larvae move around and feed freely. When the larvae are fully developed, they leave the food and bore into surrounding fabrics to pupate. Adult beetles may live up to 2 years
Range
The Cadelle beetle is a pest species that has spread to all parts of the world including Australia.
Classification
| Class: | Insecta | | Order: | Coleoptera | | Family: | Trogossitidae | | Genus: | Tenebroides | | Species: | mauritanicus | | Common Name: | Cadelle Beetle |
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