Alphitobius laevigatus

Alphitobius laevigatus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Tenebrionidae
Genus: Alphitobius
Species:
A. laevigatus
Binomial name
Alphitobius laevigatus
(Fabricius, 1781)

Alphitobius laevigatus, the black fungus beetle, is a species of darkling beetle in the family Tenebrionidae. It is found in Europe and North America.[1][2][3][4]

Black fungus beetle, Alphitobius laevigatus

Use

A. laevigatus is bred in large quantities for the use as feed for captive birds, reptiles, or amphibians. The larvae reach a length of up to 15 millimeters. The larvae are often marketed under the trade name buffalo worms, a name that is also used for the larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus which can lead to confusion.[5] The species can be detected using the PCR method.[5] In difference to A. diaperinus, A. laevigatus is not used or discussed as food for human consumption.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Alphitobius laevigatus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  2. ^ "Alphitobius laevigatus". GBIF. Retrieved 2019-09-23.
  3. ^ Bousquet, Yves; Thomas, Donald B.; Bouchard, Patrice; Smith, Aaron D.; et al. (2018). "Catalogue of Tenebrionidae (Coleoptera) of North America". ZooKeys (728): 1–455. doi:10.3897/zookeys.728.20602. PMC 5799738. PMID 29416389.
  4. ^ a b c Aline Marien, Hamza Sedefoglu, Frédéric Debode et al. (9 March 2022): Detection of Alphitobius diaperinus by Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction With a Single-Copy Gene Target. In: Frontiers in Veterinary Science. 2022; 9: 718806. doi:10.3389/fvets.2022.718806.

Further reading

  • Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2013). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 5: Tenebrionoidea. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-90-04-26090-0.


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