Penthe

Newman, 1838

velvety bark beetles

Species Guides

Penthe obliquata(Oblique Polypore Fungus Beetle)
Penthe pimelia(Velvety bark beetle)

Penthe is a of polypore fungus beetles in the Tetratomidae, comprising at least nine described . The genus is the type genus of the Penthinae. and larvae are saproxylic, feeding on fungi associated with decaying wood. The genus has a complex taxonomic history, having been placed in Tenebrionidae, Melandryidae, and finally Tetratomidae based on larval and adult morphological characters.

Penthe obliquata by (c) Mark Richman, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Mark Richman. Used under a CC-BY license.

Penthe obliquata by (c) Nick Block, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Nick Block. Used under a CC-BY license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Penthe: //ˈpɛn.θi//

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Images

Habitat

Found under bark and on rotting wood in woody areas. frequently occur on the surface of polypore fungi at night. Larvae develop internally within fungal fruiting bodies, feeding on hyphal tissue.

Distribution

Holarctic and Oriental regions, including China, the Himalayas, Japan, and North America. Specific collection records include the Dayaoshan Mountains in Guangxi, China.

Diet

and larvae feed on various fungi associated with rotting wood, specifically Polyporaceae (including Polyporus, Piptoporus, Fomitopsis) and Tricholomataceae. Larvae feed internally on hyphal tissue.

Host Associations

Polyporus - fungal food sourcePolypore fungus on rotting wood
Piptoporus - fungal food sourcePolypore fungus on rotting wood
Fomitopsis - fungal food sourcePolypore fungus on rotting wood
Polyporaceae - fungal found on surface at night; larvae feed internally on hyphal tissue
Tricholomataceae - fungal found on surface at night; larvae feed internally on hyphal tissue

Behavior

are , frequently found on the surface of fungal fruiting bodies at night.

Ecological Role

Saproxylic decomposer; contributes to nutrient cycling in decaying wood through .

More Details

Taxonomic History

Penthe has had unsettled placement. Early authors placed it in Tenebrionidae (1838–1853), followed by placement in Melandryidae under various tribal arrangements (1883–1924). Based on larval and characters, it was definitively placed in Tetratomidae by Crowson (1955), Lawrence (1982), and Nikitsky (1998).

Species Diversity

At least nine described are recognized, including P. almorensis, P. brevicollis, P. japana, P. javana, P. obliquata, P. pimelia (the velvety bark ), P. reitteri, P. rufopubens, and P. similis. The species P. kochi has been sequenced for complete mitochondrial analysis.

Mitochondrial Genome

The complete mitochondrial of P. kochi is 16,719 with 37 typical mitochondrial genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNAs, 22 tRNAs, and an A+T-rich region). Gene arrangement matches the ancestral insect pattern. The genome shows high A/T (80.60%). This represents the first complete mitogenome for Tetratomidae.