Longheaded flour beetle Latheticus oryzae Waterhouse

[عبد الرحمن الجارحي]

Classification
Primary pest (mills); grain feeder
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Tenebrionidae
Acronym: LOR

Description
Adults are yellowish to brownish beetles that are slender and flattened, reaching a length of 3 mm.
Adults have a comparatively large head with short antennae with a five segmented club.
Larvae are pale yellow to cream in color with a dark head capsule and dark urogomphi.
Similar species
Broad-horned flour beetle (Gnatocerus cornutus)
Small-eyed flour beetle (Palorus ratzeburgii)
Tribolium species
Commodities affected
Pasta, dried cassava, oatmeal, provender, tea, sorghum, maize, cereal grains
Signs of infestation
Disagreeable odour in the commodity is an indication of the presence of these beetles.
Presence of large numbers is indicative of old stores of poor quality.
Damage
Damage is not distinctive.
Both adults and larvae feed on the commodity.
How to control
Control grain insect pests
Geographic range
Is distributed worldwide
Is not known to be widely established in Canada but has been reported from ports in New Brunswick and Quebec and occurs infrequently on the Prairies
Where found
Is not cold tolerant and thrives only in hot damp conditions
Is considered a minor pest of stored grain
Can be destructive in mills, granaries and holds of ships
Life history
This beetle requires a very high minimum temperature for development to occur (25oC).
Females lay eggs at random throughout the food source.
Larvae actively move through the food.