Super worms, Morio worms or Zophobas, Zophobas morio (Fabricius, 1776) (Coleoptera Tenebrionidae) are a globally recognized feed for reptiles. Recent research efforts indicate this insect could also be used as a partial replacement of fishmeal for farmed tilapia (Jabir et al., 2012). The life cycle of Z. morio is like with other beetles as it has an egg, larva, pupa, and adult stage. However, true value across the aquaculture industry has not been realized as research with this species as feed is fairly limited. The larvae can grow to be 2 to 4 cm in length at the time of harvest.
References
- Jabir, M.A.R., Jabir, S.A.R. and Vikineswary, S., 2012. Nutritive potential and utilization of super worm (Zophobas morio) meal in the diet of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juvenile. African Journal of Biotechnology 11: 6592–6598.
Classification
Zophobas morio
Kingdom | Animalia |
Phylum | Arthropoda |
Class | Insecta |
Order | Coleoptera |
Family | Tenebrionidae |
Genus | Zophobas |
Species | Z. morio |
Author citation | (Fabricius, 1776) |
Common names | |
superworm, morio worm, zophobas |