Long-lived-insect
Guides
Bolitotherus
horned fungus beetle, forked fungus beetle
Bolitotherus is a genus of darkling beetles (Tenebrionidae) native to North America. The genus contains at least one well-documented species, Bolitotherus cornutus, commonly known as the forked fungus beetle or horned fungus beetle. All life stages are tightly associated with the fruiting bodies of wood-decaying bracket fungi, particularly species of Ganoderma and Fomes. These beetles have become important model organisms for studying sexual selection, social behavior, and population ecology in wild insect populations. Males possess distinctive thoracic horns used in combat for access to mating territories on fungal brackets.