The flat grain beetle is a common pest of stored grain, but it does not attack sound or uninjured kernels. The larva also feeds on dead insects. It has a worldwide distribution.

The flattened, reddish brown adult is only 2 mm long, and it can both jump and fly. The male’s antennae are not quiet as long as its body, while those of the female are only about half as long. The larva is slender and pale with a black head and has a pair of black, spine-like processes at the end of the abdomen. A mature larva forms a cocoon of gelatinous material. The life cycle can be completed in as short as five weeks under favorable conditions, but nine weeks is more common. The female may live for a year.

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