Darkling beetles (family Tenebrionidae) are one of the largest beetle families, with over 20,000 described species. Most are dark, ground-dwelling scavengers of dry plant and animal material.
1Overview
The family name comes from the Latin tenebrae, "darkness", after the nocturnal habits and black colouring of many species. Several desert species collect drinking water from fog that condenses on their backs.
2Farmed species
Three species are farmed at scale: the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), the superworm (Zophobas morio) and the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus). All three thrive on dry grain products, need little water, and convert feed into protein far more efficiently than livestock.