BARK-GNAWING BEETLE

any member of the insect family Trogossitidae (Ostomidae), containing about 500 species, most of which are tropical. Bark-gnawing beetles range from 5 to 20 mm (0.2 to 0.8 inch) and are dark-coloured. Species Tenebrioides mauritanicus is found in granaries; 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.