If you are interested in terrarium keeping, you have probably heard of zophobas. It is not just food, but a real superfood for many reptiles, amphibians, and even some birds. We are talking about the larvae of a tropical beetle, which are valued for their nutritional value and ease of use.
The beetles themselves are not really eaten; their value lies in their large, fleshy larvae. They look like shiny yellowish-brown “worms.” Breeders love them for their unpretentiousness: the larvae do not require complex care and live for a long time in a regular container with bran.
For animals, it is an excellent source of protein and fat. Lizards, turtles, hedgehogs, and many other pets enjoy eating zophobas. However, due to its high nutritional value, it is usually not given every day, but as a healthy and tasty addition to the main diet.
In this article, we will talk in more detail about how to properly store and feed these larvae so that your pets get the maximum benefit from them without any risk.
What is it?
Zophobas (Zophobas morio) is a beetle from the Tenebrionidae family. Its larvae are widely used to feed terrarium animals.
The species was first described in 1776 by Danish entomologist Johann Christian Fabricius.
Zophobas is a tropical beetle
Please note! The correct spelling is zophobas, not zophobos, zophobus, zoophobus, or zoophobas.
Zophobas resembles a mealworm, but differs in size. Mealworms are very small, with adults weighing only 0.1 g. Zophobas are much larger than mealworms, with larvae weighing up to 1.2 g. Both beetles belong to the large family Tenebrionidae, which includes more than 20,000 species of insects.
Habitat
Zophobas lives in the humid tropical forests of Central America, Cuba, and northern South America. Its larvae can be found in soil, straw, and leaf litter.
Zophobas leads with an active diurnal lifestyle.. Adult beetles can fly, but are unable to move on smooth surfaces. When agitated or frightened, they secrete a substance with a pungent, unpleasant odor. This substance is difficult to wash off the hands and retains its odor for a long time.
Please note! Adult beetles prefer forest litter, rotten wood, decaying stumps, old mushrooms, and the root zone of plants.
Adult beetles are not confrontational and rarely fight with each other, but if they do start fighting, they easily tear off each other's antennae and legs. When the population density is too high, adult males destroy young imagoes, as they see them as competitors, and older larvae try to satisfy their growing protein needs by eating fresh egg clutches.
Zophobas are small beetles from hot countries that people breed mainly for their larvae. These larvae are a nutritious and convenient food for lizards, spiders, and other animals in terrariums. They are rich in protein, easy to store, and do not require much care. This has made zophobas a popular choice among those who keep exotic pets.
Appearance
Zophobas larvae grow up to 60 mm in length and weigh about 1.5 g. They have three pairs of small legs and one pair of rudimentary hind pseudopods.
The body of the larva consists of segments, each larva has a unique coloration: the front edge is dark brown, the center is covered with numerous spots, and the overall color is light yellow, sandy. As the larva matures, its head and tail become darker.
Photo of zophobas
Zophobas pupa it reaches a length of 3 cm. It is cream-colored, with powerful bristles on its back.
Imago after molting, they first turn white, but after a few hours their color changes to reddish or light brown. After two days, the insects acquire a standard matte black color with glossy antennae and legs. Thin dotted stripes appear along their wings. Adult beetles grow to 30-35 mm.
Note! Sexual dimorphism in zophobas is poorly developed. Mature males are larger than females. They can be easily distinguished by a white spot on their upper lip.
Housing conditions, care
To keep zophobas, you will need to prepare separate containers for larvae, pupae, and adult beetles. Let's talk about this in more detail.
Larvae
- Tank. Larvae can be kept in an aquarium or a plastic or glass container. The tank should have a perforated lid to allow air to enter.
- Substrate. Oat flakes, bran, dry milk, dry milk mixture, or other feed mixture in which the larvae will feel comfortable can be used as a substrate. The volume of the feed mixture should be three times greater than that of the larvae. Alternatively, you can pour a mixture of wood shavings, coconut flakes, peat, and sawdust onto the bottom of the tank and provide small flat feeders for food. In the first case, the larvae will feed directly on the substrate, and in the second, they will feed from the feeders.
- Water. The larvae obtain water from the vegetables and fruits they eat. To prevent juicy food from molding, you need to provide some kind of flat feeders for them.
- Temperature. The higher the temperature, the faster the zophobas larvae develop. The optimal temperature range for larvae is between 20°C and 27°C. When kept in a cold room, the container should be heated from below.
- Lighting. Lighting does not play a significant role in the development of Zophobas. However, it is still best to avoid direct sunlight.
Please note! It is better to keep young larvae separate from adults. This will simplify cleaning and help you find specimens of the desired size.
Young larvae very quickly clog the tank in which they live with their feces. Therefore, once every two weeks, the container with small larvae should be sift through a sieve.
On the left, a Zophobas morio larva a few minutes after molting
Beetles
- Breeding ground. A 60x40x30 cm tank is perfect for keeping 500-1000 beetles. The tank should not be overpopulated, as hungry beetles may eat their own larvae.
- Substrate. Pour equal proportions of oat flakes and hardwood sawdust onto the bottom of the container. It is acceptable to breed beetles in sand, but it must first be sifted and calcined in the oven.
- Shelter. Driftwood and pieces of bark of various sizes serve as shelters for beetles. The cheapest shelter option is pressed egg cartons. If they become dirty, they are simply thrown away. Beetles hide in shelters and lay their eggs there.
- Humidity. The optimal humidity level in the terrarium is 60-70%. To maintain it, the beetles should be sprayed frequently, but in small amounts, with fresh water from a spray bottle.
- Temperature. Beetles feel comfortable at temperatures between 25°C and 28°C. Being tropical creatures, they cannot tolerate cool weather. At temperatures below 20°C, beetles stop reproducing and their eggs die.
At intervals of 1-2 weeks, the container with beetles sifted through a colander or container with holes, that beetles cannot penetrate. Add fresh substrate to the remaining beetles and transfer the sifted larvae to a separate cage.
Adult beetle
When transplanting beetles, protect your hands with gloves, as these insects secrete a foul-smelling liquid.
Diet
Zophobas morio beetles use their sense of smell to orient themselves in space and search for food. Their main organs of smell are their antennae.
Larvae
Zophobas larvae are omnivorous. Their diet consists mainly of juicy vegetables and fruits, which are cut into small pieces or mashed into a puree. To provide the larvae with animal protein, they are fed fish, minced meat, fish meal, dried or boiled meat. The larvae have an excellent appetite; if left to their own devices, they will happily eat even a dead mouse. However, this will cause them to accumulate parasites and helminths inside their bodies.
Adult beetles
Adult beetles are fed juicy food, which perfectly satisfies their hunger and replenishes the lack of moisture in the body. Among juicy foods, beetles love to eat carrots, apples, and cabbage, and among dry foods, they love rice, millet, buckwheat, oatmeal, etc. Vegetables and fruits are fed to beetles in small portions so that the leftovers do not become moldy. Fish, bird feed, or dry cat and dog food are offered as a source of protein.
Reproduction
It is not difficult to breed zophobas, but they grow slowly. The full development cycle of the insect is 7-10 months.
Table. Life cycle of the zophobas beetle.
| Stage of development | Number of days |
| Egg | 7-10 |
| Larva | 120-150 |
| Pupa | 14-21 |
| Imago | 90-120 |
Beetles reach sexual maturity at two weeks of age. Fourteen days after mating, the female lays approximately 150-200 oblong eggs, each 1.5 mm long, in a secluded place or shelter. After 7-10 days, larvae 5 mm long and weighing 1.5 g hatch from the eggs.
— Ekaterina Alekseeva Got acquainted with the world of terrarium keeping as a child
When the larvae grow a little, they are separated from the beetles. To do this, the substrate is sifted through a colander or a mesh box with holes that the beetles cannot crawl through. The former container with beetles is filled with fresh substrate.
Life hack! If you “sift” the beetles every 1-2 weeks, the larvae remaining in the old substrate will be of the same age and size.
For the first 1.5-2 months after hatching from the eggs, the larvae will grow intensively, then their growth will stop, and after another 1.5 months they will begin to pupate. When the larva is ready to pupate, it assumes an arched posture and stops moving. If the larva is left in a common container with an abundance of food and swarming relatives, then it will not be able to pupate. Unlike mealworms, zophobas larvae sense when someone is nearby and never pupate in a shared container.
Zophobas morio
To allow the larva to pupate, it is transferred to a small container. If the larva cannot escape from the container, there is no need to cover it. Once the larva is ready to pupate, it is no longer fed or watered, and after 2-3 weeks it turns into a pupa.
Tip! Use medical test tubes or plastic cassettes divided into small cells designed for storing jewelry, fishing hooks, and other small items for pupating the larvae.
The pupa matures within 2-3 weeks. After that, a large reddish-brown imago emerges from it. After 1-2 days, the imago darkens and turns black. The lifespan of the imago is 3-4 months.
Young beetle
Who can be fed with zophobas
Zophobas larvae are used as food for pets. Only larvae are used for this purpose. The beetles themselves secrete a foul-smelling liquid, so they are inedible.
Zophobas can be used as a food source for the following animals:
- mammals (protein, mice);
- amphibians (salamanders, newts, frogs);
- reptiles (lizards, turtles, monitor lizards, iguanas);
- of birds (chickens, geese);
- fish (koi carp);
- insects (ants);
- spiders.
Zophobas (Zophobas morio)
This is important! Before feeding zophobas to amphibians, the larvae must be crushed. If this is not done, the unchewed larvae will damage the animal's internal organs. Reptiles chew the larvae with their jaws, so this problem does not apply to them.
Table. Nutritional value of zophobas.
| Indicators | Unit of measurement | Indicator values |
| Water | % | 57,9 |
| Proteins | % | 19,7 |
| Fats | % | 17,7 |
| Dietary fiber | % | 3 |
| Ash | % | 1 |
| Phosphorus | mg/kg | 2370 |
| Calcium | mg/kg | 177 |
| Vitamin B1 | mg/kg | 0,6 |
Zophobas is a fairly fatty and nutritious food. In small quantities, it is useful, tasty, and improves the overall condition of the body, but in excess, it can lead to addiction, liver disease, and obesity.
Before feeding zophobas larvae to pets, sprinkle them with a beneficial vitamin and mineral supplement.
Interesting facts
Zophobas larvae are bred on an industrial scale at poultry farms. The larvae are fed to poultry, and dead birds are in turn fed to the larvae.
- Throughout its life cycle, a female zophobas lays up to 1,500 eggs.
- In the Czech Republic, zophobas larvae are used to make an alcohol tincture.
- In some countries, zophobas are used as visual aids for schoolchildren. Using Zophobas morio as an example, students learn about the process of larvae turning into adult insects.
Larva
Zophobas larvae are capable of plastic recycling. However, they only obtain nutrients from polystyrene; they simply grind up other types of plastic.
Brief conclusions
The advantages of zophobas as feed include ease of care, rapid growth, large size, omnivorousness, and unpretentiousness. Zophobas cannot move on smooth surfaces, this makes it easier to keep them in a terrarium.
The larvae are very high in calories and have a thick chitinous shell.
In summary, zophobas are not just tropical beetles, but a real helper for many terrarium owners. Their larvae have become a popular and nutritious food for a wide variety of animals, from lizards and frogs to spiders and birds. They are easy to use and help keep pets healthy.
Of course, it is important to remember that the diet should be varied. Zophobas are an excellent base, but they should be supplemented with other types of food. This will provide your pets with all the necessary vitamins and minerals for a long and active life.
In general, if you keep terrarium animals, be sure to pay attention to this beetle. Proper use of zophobas can greatly simplify the feeding process and ensure the well-being of your pets.
