12/10/2025
Here are some fun facts about darkling beetles:
Darkling beetles belong to a very large family of beetles, with over 20,000 species globally and about 1,200 species in North America north of Mexico. 🌎
Most are dull black or brown, crawl on the ground, and are scavengers. ⚫️🪱
Their size and shape vary widely, with most being oval or elongated. Globally, they can range from extremely tiny to 3 inches, though the largest in some regions are about 1½ inches. 📏
The cuticle (exterior) is hard and thick, and the surface can be smooth, lumpy, knobby, ridged, or pitted. 💪
Many species are flightless, and some have fused elytra (shell-like forewings). 🚫✈️
Darkling beetles typically live on the ground, under and around rocks, logs, leaf litter, and garden mulch. Some live under the bark of dead trees or burrow into fungi. 🌳🍂
As adults and larvae, they have chewing mouthparts. Most are scavengers, feeding on plant material, dead animals (including other insects), and fungi. 🦷🍄
The larvae of some darkling beetles are known as mealworms and can be pests of stored grains. 🐛🌾
When disturbed, some darkling beetles (like the Pinnacate beetle) will stand on their heads and emit a foul-smelling odor, making them unpalatable to predators. This has earned them the alternate name "stink beetle". 🤢💨
Some species can produce water metabolically and do not need to drink. 💧
A unique behavior called "fog-basking" allows some darkling beetles to collect tiny water droplets on their shell-like elytra, with moisture seeping down to their mouth. 🌫️💦
