mealwormn.
/ˈmiːlwəːm/, U.S. /ˈmilˌwərm/ The larva of any darkling beetle of the genus Tenebrio, resembling a wireworm, which infests granaries, etc., and is now widely used as food for captive birds and other insectivorous animals. Also: the adult of such an insect; a mealworm beetle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Heteromera > family Tenebrionidae > tenebrio molitor (flour-beetle) > larva of
mealworm1598
flour-worm1880
1598 J. Florio Worlde of Wordes Tigno, a meale-worme.
1634 T. Moufet Insectorum ii. xx. 254 Farinarios Anglii, Meale-Wormes appellant.
1658 Sir T. Browne Pseudodoxia Epidemica (ed. 3) iii. xxi. 127 That Cameleon..had been often observed to drink water, and delight to feed on Meal-worms.
1774 O. Goldsmith Hist. Earth V. 265 But meal-worm insects they..swallowed..most greedily.
1863 J. G. Wood Illustr. Nat. Hist. (new ed.) III. 474 The Meal-worm..is the larva of a beetle named Tenebrio molitor.
1947 A. D. Imms Outl. Entomol. (ed. 3) iv. 143 The most important families are the Tenebrionidae, which includes the Mealworms..and Flour Beetles.., and the Meloidae.
1979 P. L. G. Bateman Househ. Pests ii. 104 The Mealworm Tenebrio molitor, is a dark, almost black beetle..with glossy wing cases.
1992 Health Now Mar. 1/3 This revolutionary new fertiliser is the by-product of the commercial production of mealworms which are intended as bird food and fishing bait.
Compounds
mealworm beetle n. any of several dark beetles of the genus Tenebrio (family Tenebrionidae), whose larvae are mealworms, esp. T. molitor; also called meal-beetle.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > invertebrates > phylum Arthropoda > class Insecta > order Coleoptera or beetles and weevils > [noun] > Polyphaga (omnivorous) > superfamily Heteromera > family Tenebrionidae > tenebrio molitor (flour-beetle)
meal-beetle1839
mealworm beetle1840
flour-beetle1888
1840 J. Loudon & M. Loudon tr. V. Köllar Treat. Insects ii. i. 90 The perfect insect is seven lines long, and three lines broad, of a black or blackish-brown colour, and bears some resemblance in the form of its body to the mealworm beetle (Tenebrio molitor).
1860 J. Curtis Farm Insects 334 The Meal-worm Beetle.
1968 Oxf. Bk. Insects 180/1 Mealworm Beetle (Tenebrio molitor). The larvae are the well-known mealworms.
1986 M. Chinery Insects Brit. & W. Europe 274 Mealworm Beetle Tenebrio molitor. Seen mainly in granaries etc., where it damages grain and cereal products.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, March 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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