Rapid and non-invasive adult sex determination in Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): reassessment of sexual characters and new diagnostic features
Abstract
Despite its economic importance and widespread use in laboratory studies, reliable sex determination of adult Tribolium confusum remains problematic because available methods rely on pupal characters, genital examination, or subtle external traits that are invasive or require strong magnifications. In this study, all previously reported sexually dimorphic characters are re-examined and illustrated, and two previously overlooked diagnostic characters are described from the terminal abdominal region. Both newly recognized characters are detectable at 15× and clearly visible at 30× in ventral view, providing independent yet complementary evidence for sex determination. Validation by genital examination confirmed all sex assignments based on external morphology. The characters described here provide a rapid, reliable, and non-invasive method for sex determination in adult T. confusum and facilitate the use of living adults in all studies, such as behavioral, reproductive, physiological, and toxicological, where preserving sample integrity is critical.
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BibTeX
@article{cerasa2026rapid,
title = {{Rapid and non-invasive adult sex determination in Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): reassessment of sexual characters and new diagnostic features}},
author = {Giuliano Cerasa and Salvatore Guarino and Roberta Sapia and Ezio Peri},
journal = {Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.4081/jear.2026.15927},
url = {https://doi.org/10.4081/jear.2026.15927},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Rapid and non-invasive adult sex determination in Tribolium confusum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae): reassessment of sexual characters and new diagnostic features
AU - Giuliano Cerasa
AU - Salvatore Guarino
AU - Roberta Sapia
AU - Ezio Peri
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Journal of Entomological and Acarological Research
DO - 10.4081/jear.2026.15927
UR - https://doi.org/10.4081/jear.2026.15927
AB - Despite its economic importance and widespread use in laboratory studies, reliable sex determination of adult Tribolium confusum remains problematic because available methods rely on pupal characters, genital examination, or subtle external traits that are invasive or require strong magnifications. In this study, all previously reported sexually dimorphic characters are re-examined and illustrated, and two previously overlooked diagnostic characters are described from the terminal abdominal region. Both newly recognized characters are detectable at 15× and clearly visible at 30× in ventral view, providing independent yet complementary evidence for sex determination. Validation by genital examination confirmed all sex assignments based on external morphology. The characters described here provide a rapid, reliable, and non-invasive method for sex determination in adult T. confusum and facilitate the use of living adults in all studies, such as behavioral, reproductive, physiological, and toxicological, where preserving sample integrity is critical.
SN - 2038-324X
SN - 2279-7084
ER -