Fungal-feeding
Guides
Asphondylia floccosa
woolly stem gall midge, Saltbush Woolly Stem Gall Midge
Asphondylia floccosa is a gall midge in the family Cecidomyiidae that induces distinctive woolly stem galls on Atriplex polycarpa. The larvae develop within multi-chambered galls but do not consume plant tissue directly—instead feeding on fungi that grow inside the gall structure. This species was first described by Raymond Gagne in 1986 and is known from the southwestern United States.
Eucnemidae
False Click Beetles
Eucnemidae, commonly known as false click beetles, is a family of elateroid beetles comprising approximately 1,700 species distributed worldwide. The family is closely related to Elateridae (true click beetles) and shares the ability to produce an audible clicking sound through a prosternal-mesosternal mechanism, though this trait is less pronounced than in true click beetles. Larvae are saproxylic, developing in decaying wood where they feed on fungal fluids using specialized digestive adaptations. Adults are typically short-lived and frequently observed on broken wood surfaces.
Mezira
flat bugs
Mezira is a genus of flat bugs in the family Aradidae containing over 70 described species. Members are characterized by dorsoventrally flattened bodies adapted for living in confined spaces under bark and in leaf litter. The genus exhibits specialized morphological adaptations for mycetophagy, including elongated stylets and modified mouthpart sensilla for feeding on fungal mycelia and fruiting bodies.