Mealworm: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the mealworm lives – recorded in 22 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Tenebrio molitor
Group	Beetles
Found in	22 countries
Continents	Asia, Europe, North America
Class	Insect
Order	Coleoptera
Family	Tenebrionidae

Where does the mealworm live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the mealworm in 22 countries and territories across Asia, Europe and North America. In Denmark it is listed as introduced (GRIIS checklists via GBIF).

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What kind of animal is the mealworm?

The mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) is an insect in the order Coleoptera and the family Tenebrionidae, genus Tenebrio. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the mealworm

Mealworms are the larval form of the yellow mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle.

The yellow mealworm beetle prefers a warmer climate and higher humidity. Male mealworm beetles release a sex pheromone to attract females to mate.

Tenebrio molitor has been used in biomedical research. Mealworms can be a dietary source for animals and humans. They are also considered pests, especially to food storage.

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Mealworm (revision 1376915140), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q225965 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).