Ambrosia-fungus
Guides
Hylecoetus
ship-timber beetles
Hylecoetus is a genus of ship-timber beetles in the family Lymexylidae, historically noted for the European species Hylecoetus flabellicornis that infested wooden ship timbers. Adults are attracted to light and are primarily nocturnal. The genus belongs to a family whose evolutionary placement has shifted historically, now generally placed within Cucujiformia near Cleroidea and Cucujoidea, though some analyses suggest a position within Tenebrionoidea.
Lasioptera
Lasioptera is a genus of gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae containing at least 140 described species. Species in this genus are primarily known for inducing galls on host plants, with larvae developing inside plant tissues. Some species have established complex relationships with fungi, including ambrosia fungus feeding. Several species are significant agricultural pests, including the Mediterranean tomato gall midge (L. tomaticola) and a stem-boring pest on tomatoes reported from Greece and Turkey. The genus has a wide geographic distribution spanning Europe, Asia, North America, and other regions, with host associations including Rubus (raspberry/blackberry), tomato, Arundo donax (giant reed), Leea indica, and various other plants.
Lymexyloidea
ship-timber beetles
Lymexyloidea is a superfamily of beetles containing the single family Lymexylidae, commonly known as ship-timber beetles. These beetles are characterized by highly reduced elytra that expose the elongated abdomen and leave hind wings uncovered. The superfamily has a pantropical distribution with records from Africa, Central America, South America, and other regions. Members of this group have historically been considered among the most primitive beetles due to their simple morphology, though current phylogenetic analyses place them within or near the Tenebrionoidea. The oldest known fossil is a primitive Atractocerus from 100 million-year-old Burmese amber, earning the group the moniker 'living fossils.'