Fungal-associates
Guides
Abdera bicincta
Two-banded Comb-clawed Beetle
Abdera bicincta is a species of comb-clawed beetle in the family Melandryidae. The species epithet "bicincta" refers to the two-banded color pattern characteristic of this beetle. Members of the genus Abdera are small to medium-sized beetles typically associated with decaying wood and fungal habitats. Specific ecological details for A. bicincta remain poorly documented in published literature.
Alniphagus
Alniphagus is a genus of crenulate bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, comprising approximately eight described species. The genus is notable for containing hardwood-killing bark beetles, particularly Alniphagus aspericollis (the alder bark beetle), which is capable of killing live alder trees—a rarity among bark beetles, as most tree-killing species in this group specialize on conifers. Species in this genus breed in the subcortical tissues of alder trees (genus Alnus) and have been documented from western North America, Africa, and Eurasia.
Ciini
Ciini is a tribe of minute beetles within the family Ciidae, commonly known as minute tree-fungus beetles. The tribe contains at least 30 genera and was established by Leach in 1819. Members are small, mycophagous beetles associated with fungal growth on wood.
Dendroctonus adjunctus
roundheaded pine beetle
Dendroctonus adjunctus, commonly known as the roundheaded pine beetle, is a bark beetle native to North America that infests and kills pine trees. Adults are 5–6 mm long with shiny, dark brown to black exoskeletons covered in hairs. The species has a one-year life cycle, with adults colonizing weakened pine trees in autumn, constructing extensive egg galleries in the cambium and phloem. Outbreaks can be devastating, killing up to 50% of pines in pure stands. The beetle is distributed across the southwestern United States and Mexico, and is considered a serious pest of commercial and wild pine stocks.
Epuraea
sap beetles
Epuraea is a genus of small sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae, first described by Erichson in 1843. The genus contains at least 40 described species distributed across northern temperate regions. Epuraea species are primarily associated with fermenting plant materials, fungal sporulation structures, and decaying organic matter. Several species have documented relationships with specific fungal pathogens of trees, including western gall rust and oak wilt fungus. The genus exhibits considerable ecological diversity, with some species occurring in bumblebee nests and others developing on agricultural crops.
Exechiini
Exechiini is a tribe of fungus gnats within the family Mycetophilidae, comprising approximately 13 genera and at least 130 described species. Members are small, delicate flies associated with fungal habitats. The tribe represents a moderately diverse lineage within the broader fungus gnat radiation, though many species remain poorly documented.
Heteropeza
Heteropeza is a genus of gall midges and wood midges (family Cecidomyiidae) comprising approximately six described species. The genus is notable for its unusual paedogenetic life cycle, in which immature larvae reproduce parthenogenetically without metamorphosis to the adult stage. Heteropeza pygmaea, the best-studied species, has been observed in association with shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) and exhibits unique chromosomal biology including chromosome elimination during early embryonic development.
Leiestinae
handsome fungus beetles
Leiestinae is a subfamily of handsome fungus beetles within the family Endomychidae. It was established by C.G. Thomson in 1863. The subfamily contains at least four genera—Phymaphora, Rhanidea, Sinopanamomus, and Stethorhanis—with approximately five described species. Members of this group are small beetles associated with fungal habitats.
Leiodini
round fungus beetles
Leiodini is a tribe of small beetles within the family Leiodidae, commonly known as round fungus beetles. The tribe contains over 400 described species distributed across 19 genera. Members of this tribe are primarily associated with fungal habitats, particularly decomposing fungi and related organic matter. The group was established by Fleming in 1821 and represents a significant component of the beetle fauna in forest ecosystems.
Lygistorrhina
long-beaked fungus gnats
Lygistorrhina is a genus of fungus gnats characterized by elongated mouthparts. The genus was established by Skuse in 1890 and contains at least 20 described species. Members are classified in the family Keroplatidae (sometimes treated as Lygistorrhinidae). These insects are part of the diverse Diptera fauna associated with fungal habitats.
Nitidulinae
sap beetles
Nitidulinae is a subfamily of small beetles within the family Nitidulidae, commonly known as sap beetles. The subfamily contains approximately 110 genera and at least 70 described species, though taxonomic revision is ongoing. Members are primarily associated with fungal substrates, particularly large-bodied Basidiomycetes, and exhibit diverse feeding habits including phallalophagy in some lineages. The group has been subject to recent phylogenetic study focusing on body convexity as a morphological trait and host-use patterns.
Orthoperus
minute hooded beetles
Orthoperus is a genus of minute hooded beetles in the family Corylophidae, established by Stephens in 1829. The genus contains more than 20 described species, with at least 28 species currently recognized. Members are characterized by their extremely small body size and the distinctive hood-like pronotal structure that partially covers the head. These beetles belong to the tribe Orthoperini within the subfamily Corylophinae. They have been recorded from Europe and North America.
Phalacrus
Phalacrus is a genus of small beetles in the family Phalacridae, established by Paykull in 1800. Members of this genus are part of the superfamily Cucujoidea. The genus includes species such as Phalacrus uniformis, which has been introduced from Australia to New Zealand. Phalacrus beetles are generally associated with fungal habitats.
Scaphisomatini
Scaphisomatini is a tribe of rove beetles (family Staphylinidae, subfamily Scaphidiinae) established by Casey in 1893. Members of this tribe are characterized by their association with fungal habitats, particularly as inhabitants of sporocarps (fruiting bodies) of basidiomycete fungi. The tribe comprises numerous genera distributed across multiple biogeographic regions. These beetles represent a specialized lineage within the Scaphidiinae, having evolved to exploit microhabitats within decaying fungal material.
Tomicus
pine shoot beetles
Tomicus is a genus of bark beetles in the family Curculionidae, described by Pierre André Latreille in 1802. The genus contains at least seven recognized species, including economically significant forest pests such as T. piniperda, T. minor, T. destruens, and T. yunnanensis. These beetles are commonly known as pine shoot beetles due to their distinctive life history involving feeding on pine shoots before trunk colonization. Several species have caused substantial mortality in pine forests across Europe, the Mediterranean region, and southwestern China, with T. yunnanensis described as unusually aggressive in its native range.
Toramus
pleasing fungus beetles
Toramus is a genus of pleasing fungus beetles in the family Erotylidae, containing nine described species. These small beetles are associated with fungal habitats and are found primarily in North America. The genus was established by Grouvelle in 1916 and is classified within the tribe Toramini.
Tritomini
pleasing fungus beetles
Tritomini is a tribe of pleasing fungus beetles within the family Erotylidae, established by Curtis in 1834. The tribe comprises approximately 15 genera including Tritoma, Triplax, Ischyrus, Mycotretus, Pselaphacus, and Haematochiton, with at least 30 described species. Members are exclusively Neotropical in distribution and are obligate associates of macrofungi, particularly basidiomes. The tribe has been subject to recent taxonomic revision focusing on genitalic morphology and larval stages, with immature stages now described for multiple Pselaphacus species.