Mealworm

The mealworm is the larval stage of the darkling beetle Tenebrio molitor, a species in the beetle family Tenebrionidae, order Coleoptera. The larvae typically measure about 2.5 centimeters, while the adult beetles reach 1.25 to 1.8 centimeters in length and are dark brown to black with evenly spaced grooves running the length of the abdomen. As a holometabolous insect, the mealworm passes through egg, larva, pupa and adult stages, with the larval stage made up of nine to twenty molts before pupation; a female beetle lays roughly 500 eggs over a six to twelve month adult lifespan. The species most likely originated in the Mediterranean region but has since spread through human trade and colonization to warm, humid habitats worldwide. Mealworms are farmed widely as food for captive reptiles and birds, as fishing bait, as a potential livestock feed ingredient and as human food, and their larvae are also studied for their ability to degrade polystyrene into usable organic matter. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/