Phylum, Arthropoda; Class, Insecta; Order, Coleoptera
Identifying Features
 
Nutrition
The following are some of the animals that will eat mealworms.
Birds:
Chickens, turkeys, guinea fowl, peafowl, quail, chukar, pheasant, bluebirds, songbirds, and well most birds!
Mammals:
Hedgehogs (mine love the adult mealworm beetles too!), shrews, moles, voles, bats, rats, and other mammals that eat insects.
Reptiles:
Aquatic turtles of all sorts, box turtles, tortoises, sailfin lizards, chameleons, fringe-toed lizards, basilisks, water dragons, basilisks, anoles, and well most reptiles that eat bugs!
Amphibians:
Frogs, toads, newts, and salamanders of all sorts!
Fish:
Archers, goldfish, piranha, arrowana, and any big fish that eats bug meat!
Appearance (Morphology)
Adult Beetle
Black with hardened front wings (elytra)
Antennae arise under ridge near eyes
Antennae many-segmented, enlarging near tip
Shape quite variable, from almost parallel-sided to round
Head visible from top, followed by pronotum and elytra about same width
Mealworm (larva) averages an inch in length. They have a tough yellowish brown exoskeleton and are cylindrical.
Adult Males and Females
It is difficult to tell the difference between the males and females without a microscope and dissection.
Immatures (different stages)
The larval stage (referred to generally as mealworms) is worm-like and somewhat hardened for burrowing. The egg is white. The pupa is 1/2 to 3/4" long., white initially then darkening just before the beetle emerges. Length of the life cycle is 3-5 months. The larval stage may molt 9-20 times. 
Natural History
Food
The beetles and larvae eat decaying leaves, sticks, grasses and occasionally new plant growth. As general decomposers, they also eat dead insects, feces and stored grains.
Habitat
Mealworms live in areas surrounded by what they eat under rocks, and logs, in animal burrows and in stored grains. They clean up after plants and animals, and therefore can be found anywhere where "leftovers" occur.
Predators
Many predators eat mealworms including rodents, lizards, predatory beetles, spiders, and birds.
Interesting Behaviors
When disturbed, some beetles (genus Eleodes)assume a defensive posture in which they stand on their head and release chemicals from a scent gland in the rear that produces noxious odors and turns skin brown. Mealworms prefer darkness and to have their body in contact with an object.
Impact on the Ecosystem
Positive
Clean up organic materials not readily used by others. Mealworms are food for other animals.
Negative
Sometimes mealworms feed on seedlings and clip plants off near soil line. Mealworms can be pests to stored grain. |
