Leichenum canaliculatum

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Cucujiformia
Superfamilia: Tenebrionoidea

Familia: Tenebrionidae
Subfamilia: Tenebrioninae
Tribus: Leichenini
Genus: Leichenum
Species: Leichenum canaliculatum

Leichenum canaliculatum, commonly known as Madagascar beetle, is a species of darkling beetle.[1][2]

Distribution

The species can be found in several Africa, Asian and Oceania countries including: Australia, Botswana, Cameroon, Chad, Cuba, France, Gambia, Guadeloupe, India, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Liberia, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Somalia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Tanzania, Thailand, and Vietnam. It is also introduced to USA and can be found in many coastal areas.
Description

Adult is oval with an average length of 5 mm. The body is grayish with black, gray, brown mottling. A whitish spatula-shaped, scaly setae present. Eyes are globose and slightly emarginated. Antennae short with a clearly defined 4-segmented club on the apical half. The length of the mature larva is 12 mm. In the pupa, the urogomphi are fused into a long spine-like process and the tip ends in two small round lobes. Pupa is about 6 mm in length.[3]
Biology

Adults are easily attracted to light traps as well as both baited or unbaited pitfall traps. It is commonly found in sandy areas, along beaches, lakes and river shorelines. The highest aggregations are recorded from March to November. Adults usually hide under small piles of leaf litter in sand depressions. Both adult and larva are known to feed on roots of Bermuda grass, cotton, turnips and rutabagas. Larva also observed to feed on nap of rugs, and associated with damaged peach trees and Amaryllis bulbs.
References

"Species Leichenum canaliculatum - Madagascar Beetle". bugguide. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
"Leichenum canaliculatum (Fabricius, 1798)". Government of Western Australia. Retrieved 2021-07-03.
"The Madagascar beetle, Leichenum canaliculatum variegatum". University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Retrieved 2021-07-03.