grain beetle

Noun

grain beetle (plural grain beetles)

1. Any of several beetles from the families Silvanidae and Laemophloeidae that infest grains and grain products.
   • For instance, the saw-toothed grain beetle is commonly found, and prefers to develop, in dry fruits and naturally, its occurrence is mainly limited to fruit growing regions. The rusty grain beetle prefers crushed grain and therefore, usually inhabits grain mills and is widely distributed.1987, Gennadiĭ Alekseevich Zakladnoĭ, Vera Flegontovna Ratanova, Stored Grain Pests and Their Control, Oxonian Press, page 41
   • Taylor's power law overestimated the variance for the flat grain beetle and squarenosed fungus beetle (Lathridius minutus [L.]), and underestimated the variance for foreign grain beetle, larger black flour beetle, rusty grain beetle, and hairy fungus beetle.1995, Bhadriraju Subramanyam, David W. Hagstrum, “4: Sampling”, in Bhadriraju Subramanyam, David W. Hagstrum, editors, Integrated Management of Insects in Stored Products, page 159