Preference of the Confused Flour Beetle for Certain Penicillium Isolates 1

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Abstract
Whole wheat flour, autoclaved wheat flour and fungal cultured (Penicillium spp) wheat flour were offered to Tribolium confusum adults in a choice chamber. Whole wheat flour was the preferred medium. No preference was shown for autoclaved wheat flour even over no flour at all. Behavioral responses of T. confusum to various isolates of Penicillium were compared to life history data for T. confusum from previously published feeding trials. In general, T. confusum was attracted to those fungal isolates with nutritional benefit and repelled by those containing growth inhibitors. One mycotoxin, citrinin, was repellent to T. confusum when offered in whole wheat flour.