It is easy to distinguish between men and women in adulthood. Generally speaking, females are bigger than males, but their appearance is basically the same. The female's tail is very sharp, and the ovipositor hangs down and sticks out of the carapace. Therefore, it lays eggs in bran or other feed through the screen.

It can also be identified by pupae. The ventral end of Tenebrio molitor pupa has a pair of sharp tail spines in figure eight, and the last abdomen has a pair of papillae. The mastoid of female pupa is thick and obvious, and the end of the protuberance is sharp, which is separated to the left and right in a figure of eight. Male pupa mastoid is short and slightly exposed, with blunt and round end, no bending and fused base.

Extended data

The newly emerged adult is white, gradually yellow-brown and dark-brown. The ventral and dorsal surfaces of Coleoptera are brown, shiny and oval, with a length of 14~ 15 mm and a width of about 6 mm. The insect body is divided into three parts: chest and abdomen. Adults have black sheath-like front wings and obvious longitudinal stripes on the back of the sheath wings. At rest, the coleoptera covers the hind wing, which is membranous and veined and folds vertically and horizontally under the coleoptera. The male has a connector hidden inside, which protrudes during mating.

The female has an ovipositor hidden in her body, which stands out when laying eggs. Tenebrio molitor adults generally can't fly and can only crawl by appendages. Tenebrio molitor prefers dry to wet and does not like light, so it is suitable for living in a dark environment. When adults encounter strong light, they will flee to the darkness. Although you can be active day and night, you are more active at night.