Fungus-feeding
Guides
Apomyelois
knot-horn moths
Apomyelois is a genus of small pyralid moths in the subfamily Phycitinae, established by Carl Heinrich in 1956. The genus contains approximately six described species with notably divergent ecologies: some are agricultural pests of stored products and fruit crops, while others are specialized fungus-feeders in woodland habitats. Taxonomic boundaries remain contested, particularly regarding the placement of the carob moth, which some authorities classify as Ectomyelois ceratoniae.
Bolothrips bicolor
Bolothrips bicolor is a species of thrips in the family Phlaeothripidae, subfamily Idolothripinae. The species was first described by Heeger in 1852 under the name Phlaeothrips bicolor. It is a fungus-feeding thrips with a broad distribution spanning Europe, parts of Asia, and North America. The genus Bolothrips contains approximately 90 species worldwide, primarily associated with fungal spores in leaf litter and soil habitats.
Cartodere nodifer
Swollen Fungus Beetle, minute brown scavenger beetle
Cartodere nodifer is a minute beetle in the family Latridiidae, commonly known as the Swollen Fungus Beetle. The species was originally described from Europe but has become cosmopolitan through human-mediated dispersal. It is now established on multiple continents including Australia, New Zealand, and the Azores archipelago. The species belongs to a group commonly called 'minute brown scavenger beetles' due to their small size and ecological habits.
Compsothrips
Compsothrips is a genus of thrips in the family Phlaeothripidae, subfamily Idolothripinae. The genus was established by Reuter in 1901 and contains approximately 26 described species distributed across multiple continents. Members of this genus are fungus-feeding thrips, a characteristic trait of the Idolothripinae subfamily. The genus shows considerable diversity in coloration and geographic distribution, with species recorded from North America, South America, Africa, Asia, and Europe.
Corticariinae
Corticariinae is a subfamily of minute beetles in the family Latridiidae, comprising small (1-3 mm), cryptically colored species with elongated oval bodies and 3-3-3 tarsal formula. The subfamily includes at least 11 genera, with species distributed across the Andean region and other global localities, ranging from lowland tropical forests to high-elevation páramos (up to 4300 m). Members are mycetophagous, feeding on fungal spores and conidia, and occupy diverse microhabitats including decaying vegetation, stored food products, and very humid cloud forest environments.
Cryptophagus acutangulus
Acute-angled Fungus Beetle, Silken Fungus Beetle
Cryptophagus acutangulus is a small mycophagous beetle in the family Cryptophagidae, commonly known as the acute-angled fungus beetle or silken fungus beetle. The species has a nearly cosmopolitan distribution, occurring across Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, though it is most abundant in temperate and boreal forest zones. It feeds primarily on fungi, with larvae and adults consuming fungal spores and hyphae. The complete life cycle from egg to adult has been described, and the species plays a documented role in fungal spore dispersal through internal and external transmission mechanisms.
Eurythrips
Eurythrips is a genus of thrips in the family Phlaeothripidae, established by Hinds in 1902. The genus contains approximately 40 described species distributed primarily in the Americas. Members of this genus are fungus-feeding thrips, a characteristic common to many Phlaeothripidae. The genus has been documented through limited observations and taxonomic study.
Melanocanthon
Melanocanthon is a genus of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, established by Halffter in 1958. The genus contains at least four described species distributed in the Nearctic region. Unlike many scarabaeine dung beetles, at least one species (M. nigricornis) has been documented utilizing fungus and carrion rather than dung as primary food resources.
Mycophila
wood midges
Mycophila is a genus of cecidomyiid midges established by Ephraim Porter Felt in 1911, comprising seven described species. Species within this genus are associated with fungal substrates, with some documented as pests of cultivated mushrooms. The genus exhibits diverse reproductive strategies including paedogenesis and parthenogenesis. At least three species have been recorded from China, with additional species known from North America and Europe.
Pelecocera
Pelecocera is a Holarctic genus of small hoverflies (Syrphidae) comprising approximately 14 species. Adults are typically black and yellow or orange, found primarily in heathland and conifer forest habitats. Larval biology has been historically poorly known, but recent studies confirm mycophagy in at least two species, with larvae developing inside the hypogean fungal fruit bodies of Rhizopogon luteolus.
Thymalidae
Thymalidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cleroidea, recently elevated from subfamily status within Trogossitidae based on molecular phylogenetic studies. The family comprises two subfamilies with markedly different distributions and ecologies: Decamerinae, found in Central and South America and associated with flowers, and Thymalinae, containing only the genus Thymalus, which has a Holarctic and Oriental distribution and is associated with tree bark and deadwood. In Europe, Thymalus limbatus is the sole representative, restricted to natural forests with large deadwood accumulations.
Winnertzia
Winnertzia is a genus of mycophagous gall midges in the family Cecidomyiidae, subfamily Porricondylinae. The genus is exceptionally speciose, with 136 extant species currently recognized following recent taxonomic revisions. Species are documented from the Palearctic, Neotropical, and Australasian regions. Larvae develop in association with fungal substrates.
Winnertziinae
Winnertziinae is a subfamily of gall midges and wood midges in the family Cecidomyiidae (Diptera). The subfamily contains three recognized tribes: Diallactiini, Heteropezini, and Winnertziini, plus several genera of uncertain placement. The genus Winnertzia is exceptionally speciose, with 136 extant species documented across Sweden, Peru, and Tasmania. Members are predominantly mycophagous, feeding on fungal substrates.