Darkling beetle  Darkling beetle is the common name of the large family of beetles Tenebrionidae. The number of species in the Tenebrionidae is estimated at more than 20,000 and the family is cosmopolitan in distribution. "Tenebrio" is the Latin generic name that Carl Linnaeus assigned to some flour beetles in his "10th edition of Systema Naturae" 1758-59.. The word means "seeker of dark places" (or figuratively a trickster); an English language analog is "darkling". Numerous Tenebrionidae species do inhabit dark places, however, there are many species in genera such as "Stenocara" and "Onymacris", which are active by day and inactive at night. The family covers a varied range of forms, such that classification presents great difficulties. The following list of subfamilies was largely accepted in 2005. Ongoing phylogenetic studies are showing that some taxonomic changes are needed. For instance the tribal classification of tribe Pedinini has recently been altered. The misspelling "Terebrionidae" occurs frequently enough to be easily overlooked. The error appears to have no particular significance, but to be the product of misreadings, mis-scans and mis-typings. The Tenebrionidae may be identified by a combination of features, including:  Tenebrionid beetles occupy ecological niches in mainly deserts and forests as plant scavengers. Most species are generalistic omnivores, and feed on decaying leaves, rotting wood, fresh plant matter, dead insects, and fungi as larvae and adults. Several genera, including "Bolitotherus", are specialized fungivores which feed on polypores. Many of the larger species are flightless, and those that are capable, such as "T. molitor", only do so when necessary, such as when dispersing or malnourished. The larvae, known as mealworms or false wireworms, are usually fossorial, heavily armored and nocturnal. They may possibly be an important resource for certain invertebrates and small mammals. However, the adults of many species have chemical defenses and are relatively protected against predators. Adults of most species, except grain pests, have slow metabolisms, and live long lives compared to other insects, ranging from approximately six months to two years. Some species live in intensely dry deserts such as the Namib, and have evolved adaptions by which they collect droplets of fog that deposit on their elytra.