Giant Meal Beetle Zophobas morio

The Giant Meal Beetle is one of some 20,000 "darkling" beetles. It is native to Mexico, Central America and northern South America. It is not closely related to the common Mealworm Beetle, Tenebrio molitor (another darkling species), bred to provide mealworms for animal food, but it is bred to provide "superworms" or "morio worms" also for birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians and insectivorous mammals. The word "meal" in the names of both species relates to the larva being a pest of grain stores.

The Giant Meal Beetle, like the common Mealworm, is said to be able to digest and bio-degrade expanded polystyrene with no harmful effect on its health. Being bigger, with stronger jaws, they can do so more quickly.