[tuh-neb-ree-uh-nid] 
| darkling beetle. |
| any brown or black beetle of the family Tenebrionidae, the larvae of which feed on dead or decaying plant material, fungi, stored grain, etc. |
| darkling beetle n. A beetle of the family Tenebrionidae, having a brown or black body and feeding on decaying vegetation, living plants, or stored grain. It is found in a variety of habitats, including deserts. Also called tenebrionid. |
| te·neb·ri·o·nid (tə-něb'rē-ə-nĭd', těn'ə-brī'-) n. See darkling beetle. [From New Latin Tenebriōnidae, family name, from Tenebriō, type genus, from Latin tenebriō, tenebriōn-, one who avoids light, from tenebrae, darkness.] te·neb'ri·o·nid' adj. |