Polypore-associate
Guides
Bolitotherus cornutus
Forked Fungus Beetle
Bolitotherus cornutus, commonly known as the forked fungus beetle, is a darkling beetle native to eastern North America. Adult males possess prominent forward-curving thoracic horns used in combat with rival males for access to females. The species completes its entire life cycle—egg, larva, pupa, and adult—within or upon the fruiting bodies of wood-decaying bracket fungi, particularly species of Ganoderma and Fomes. It has become a well-studied model organism for research on sexual selection, social evolution, and behavior in natural populations.
Cis boleti
Cis boleti is a minute ciid beetle (2.8–4 mm) with uniform brown coloration. It inhabits the fruiting bodies of polypore fungi, including Piptoporus betulinus, Trametes, and Coriolus versicolor. The species is difficult to distinguish from closely related Cis species without examination of male genitalia. Its feeding activity reduces the reproductive fitness of host fungi by damaging the spore-producing hymenium.
Oxyporus rufipennis
Oxyporus rufipennis is a rove beetle in the subfamily Oxyporinae, characterized by relatively large size within the family and distinctive reddish wing covers. The species occurs across northeastern North America, with records spanning Canada and the eastern United States. Like other members of Oxyporus, it is associated with fungal habitats, particularly polypore bracket fungi on decaying wood.