White-rot-fungus
Guides
Ambrosiodmus
Ambrosiodmus is a genus of ambrosia beetles (Scolytinae) in the family Curculionidae, comprising at least 100 described species. These beetles are distinguished by their obligate mutualism with the white-rot decay fungus Flavodon subulatus (formerly Flavodon ambrosius), a unique symbiosis among ambrosia beetles. Unlike most ambrosia fungi that merely extract nutrients from recently dead wood, Flavodon is a true wood degrader capable of decomposing cellulose and lignin. This superior fungal mutualist enables Ambrosiodmus species to establish large, semi-social colonies with thousands of individuals and to colonize and decay wood over multiple generations. Several species, including A. minor and A. rubricollis, have become invasive outside their native ranges.
Ambrosiodmus hagedorni
Ambrosiodmus hagedorni is an ambrosia beetle in the weevil family Curculionidae, described by Wood & Bright in 1992. Like other members of its genus, it farms the white-rot decay fungus Flavodon ambrosius, a unique symbiont capable of true wood decomposition. This mutualism enables the beetle to colonize and persist in decaying wood over multiple generations, supporting larger colony sizes than typical ambrosia beetles. The species is known from Brazil and represents part of a distinctive beetle-fungus symbiosis that differs fundamentally from other ambrosia systems.
Ambrosiodmus tachygraphus
Ambrosiodmus tachygraphus is a North American ambrosia beetle described by Hopkins in 1915. Like other members of the genus Ambrosiodmus, it engages in obligate mutualism with fungal symbionts, specifically the wood-decaying fungus Flavodon ambrosius. This partnership enables the beetle to colonize and reproduce in dead or dying wood by farming fungi that digest cellulose and lignin, converting wood into nutritious food for beetle larvae and adults. The species is part of a group known for forming semi-social colonies with thousands of individuals, facilitated by their unique ability to cultivate a true wood-degrading fungus rather than merely extracting readily available nutrients from freshly dead tissues.
Tremecinae
woodwasps, horntails
Tremecinae is a subfamily of woodwasps (Siricidae) distinguished from Siricinae by its association with the white-rot fungus Cerrena unicolor rather than Amylostereum. Unlike Siricinae, which carry symbiotic fungi in specialized mycangia, at least some Tremecinae species lack these structures and do not internally transport fungal symbionts. Females locate host wood already infected with sapwood-decaying fungi using volatile compounds. The subfamily includes forest pests that interact with fungal communities in decaying wood.