bark-gnawing beetle

▪ insect

      any of some 500 species of beetles (order Coleoptera) that are found under bark, in woody fungi, and in dry plant material, mostly in the tropics. Bark-gnawing beetles range from 5 to 20 mm (0.2 to 0.8 inch) and are dark-coloured. The species Tenebrioides mauritanicus is found in granaries where its larvae, commonly known as cadelles, feed on both the grain and other insects in the grain. Tennochilus virescens, an eastern species, is blue-green in colour and has a ferocious bite.

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