Mycetochara

Guérin-Méneville, 1827

comb-clawed beetles

Species Guides

Mycetochara is a of comb-clawed beetles in the Tenebrionidae, containing at least 30 described . The genus is classified in the Alleculinae and is distributed across Europe, Russia, and parts of North America. Recent taxonomic revisions have clarified species boundaries in European Russia and the Russian Caucasus, describing new species and resolving synonymies.

Mycetochara binotata by (c) Katja Schulz, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Mycetochara haldemani by (c) Zachary Dankowicz, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Zachary Dankowicz. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Mycetochara: //maɪˈsiːtoʊˌkærə//

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of this can be distinguished from related Alleculinae genera using -specific keys based on morphological characters; males and females require separate identification keys due to in certain species. The genus includes species assigned to subgenera Ernocharis, Oculochara, and Mycetochara s. str., which differ in structure and body proportions.

Images

Distribution

Europe; European Russia; Russian Caucasus; Northern Cis-Azov region; Northwestern Caucasus; Scandinavia (Denmark, Norway, Sweden); northeastern North America (Vermont, USA). The has been recorded from Rostov Region and Republic of Adygea in Russia, with 14 occurring in European Russia and the Russian Caucasus combined.

Similar Taxa

GonoderaClosely related in Alleculinae; historically confused with Mycetochara, with recent synonymies established between of both genera.

More Details

Taxonomic complexity

The contains multiple subgenera (Ernocharis, Oculochara, Mycetochara s. str.) and has undergone recent revision in Russia, with two new described in 2024 and several synonymies resolved.

Identification resources

Published keys exist for identifying males and females of Mycetochara in European Russia and the Russian Caucasus.