Moss-feeding
Guides
Eustigmaeus
Eustigmaeus is a diverse genus of mites in the family Stigmaeidae containing more than 130 species with worldwide distribution across all zoogeographic regions except Antarctica. Species within this genus exhibit complex life cycles that may include an unusual tritonymphal stage, a trait documented in only two species within the family. Some species are associated with moss as a food source, while at least one species, E. johnstoni, has been recorded as an ectoparasite of sand flies. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including specific arrangements of dorsal setae and shield structures.
Liogma
Liogma is a genus of crane flies in the family Cylindrotomidae, established by Osten Sacken in 1869. The genus contains seven recognized species distributed across the Holarctic and East Asia. Larvae are specialized feeders on mosses, while adults inhabit damp wooded environments.
Simplocaria metallica
Metallic Pill Beetle
Simplocaria metallica is a pill beetle in the family Byrrhidae, distributed across Europe, Northern Asia (excluding China), and North America. It is an obligate herbivore specialized on mosses, particularly species in the genera Pohlia, Ceratodon, and Bryum. The species has been studied in forest habitats of northern Alberta, Canada, where it occurs alongside other pill beetle species.