Bug FAQRenatiella reticulata
Renatiella reticulata · Order: Coleoptera · Family: Tenebrionidae
Source: Wikipedia
Renatiella reticulata has relatively long legs and is the most widespread species in its genus. It lives on sandy ground across East and southern Africa and can be seen any time of year, sometimes climbing short distances up stems to avoid water. Both larvae and adults eat dead plant material and may also feed on crops like maize and tobacco, occasionally harming young plants.
Source: Wikipedia
How to recognize it
The beetle has relatively long legs and is the most widespread, derived, and variable species of its genus.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it lives
It occurs on many types of sandy soil and adults may climb up to about a foot on stumps or shrub stems to escape immersion.
Source: Wikipedia
What it eats
They have been found on stored maize, grass sods, sunn hemp and tobacco stalks and can attack young maize or tobacco crops.
Source: Wikipedia
Life cycle
Adults are present throughout the year.
Source: Wikipedia
When you see it
Adults can be encountered at any time of the year.
Source: Wikipedia
Where it comes from
It is native to East and southern Africa.
Source: Wikipedia
Lookalikes
Unlike related beetles, it may climb up to a foot above ground on stems to avoid being submerged.
Source: Wikipedia
Questions people ask
What crops can Renatiella reticulata damage?
It may feed on and damage maize and tobacco plants, especially young crops.
Source: Wikipedia
When are adults of this beetle active?
Adults can be found throughout the entire year.
Source: Wikipedia
What kind of habitat does it prefer?
It lives on various sandy substrates and may climb short distances on vegetation to avoid water.
Source: Wikipedia
Same family (Tenebrionidae)
Sources
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renatiella_reticulata
Look it up elsewhere: GBIF · iNaturalist · BugGuide · Wikipedia
Text written 2026-10-23 from the sources above and checked sentence by sentence against them. Data fetched 2026-10-23.