Supers and mealies

[beardie_love]

Why is it that superworms and mealworms look the same? I don't know how to word the question I want to say, but how are they all that different from each other?

??? ??? ???

 

[Pogie]

LOL,

Yeah Ive thought that myself too.

What Ive read is that supers are a different specie worm, their shells dont contain that much chittin (The undigestable part) so beardies can digest them better. So they dont get impacted from the supers

But thats all I can add. Hoping somebody else can chime in and give some more detailed answers.

 

[ladyknite]

Superworms are Zophobas morio and mealworms belong to Tenebrio molitor. Both are specie of the darkling beetle, just different.
Giant mealworms, king worms and other larger forms of meal worms are typically considered pests and chemically treated so they don't reproduce. This doesn't prevent them from being marketed however as reptile food.

regular mealworms are small and hold very little meat to shell ratio compared to that of a superworm.
Mealworm chitin is also tougher than superworm chitin.

 

[ladyknite]

Oh...........doh..............the most obvious difference............
mealies go dormant in the fridge. Supers die.

 

[corrine]

Why is it that mealies are a good staple for geckos and not for dragons?

 

[TheVirus]

Temps and humidity. Leos are kept closer to their max desired basking temp and they are offered humid hides. Makes digestion easier.

Also mealies are too small for adult dragons.

 

[corrine]

Ahhh I see. Thanks for the info.

 

[beardie_love]

Thanks for the info!

 

[crypticdragons]

Superworms are Zophobas morio and mealworms belong to Tenebrio molitor. Both are specie of the darkling beetle, just different.
Giant mealworms, king worms and other larger forms of meal worms are typically considered pests and chemically treated so they don't reproduce. This doesn't prevent them from being marketed however as reptile food.

regular mealworms are small and hold very little meat to shell ratio compared to that of a superworm.
Mealworm chitin is also tougher than superworm chitin.

I was under the impression that a King worm was just another name for a Super worm??

 

[ladyknite]

kings are supposed to be labeled as bait tackle, not reptile food because of the chemical treatment.
Essentially they are the same worm, one is treated one is not.