Wood-inhabiting
Guides
Axymyia furcata
Axymyia furcata is a xylophilic, semi-aquatic nematoceran fly and the sole described species in the genus Axymyia. Once considered rare, the species has been documented across twenty U.S. states and two Canadian provinces in the eastern Nearctic. Its larvae develop in water-filled rot holes and cavities of living hardwood trees within deciduous forests. Research indicates post-glacial range expansion from southern Appalachian refugia, with possible survival in northern refugia including the Driftless area and southeastern Ohio.
Chalcosyrphus chalybeus
violet leafwalker
Chalcosyrphus chalybeus, commonly known as the violet leafwalker, is a species of syrphid fly (flower fly) found in the northeastern United States and adjacent Canada. Adults are characterized by their all-black coloration with a distinctive steely blue or violet metallic sheen. Unlike many syrphid flies, this species shows a strong association with dead wood rather than flowers. The larvae develop in decaying wood as saprophages, while adults are known to visit flowers for nectar and pollen. Males possess holoptic (contiguous) eyes, a trait unusual among syrphid flies.
Chalcosyrphus metallicus
Yellow-legged Leafwalker
Chalcosyrphus metallicus is an uncommon species of syrphid fly found in the southeastern United States. Unlike many hoverflies that visit flowers for nectar and pollen, adults of this species are associated with dead and decaying wood. The species exhibits distinctive enlarged and spinose metafemora on the hind legs, a trait shared with related species in the genus. Larvae develop as saprophages in rotting wood rather than as aphid predators like many other syrphids.
Eustrophopsis ornatus
Eustrophopsis ornatus is a species of beetle in the family Tetratomidae, described by VanDyke in 1928. This species belongs to a small family of beetles sometimes referred to as polypore fungus beetles or false darkling beetles. The genus Eustrophopsis is part of a group of beetles associated with fungal habitats, particularly wood-decaying fungi. Information regarding the specific biology and ecology of this species remains limited in published literature.
Litargus connexus
Litargus connexus is a small beetle in the family Mycetophagidae, commonly known as hairy fungus beetles. The species has a broad distribution across Europe, North Africa, and parts of Asia. Both adults and larvae are strongly associated with fungal decomposition of wood, with larvae specializing on particular pyrenomycete fungi.
Neoplasta
Neoplasta is a genus of dance flies in the family Empididae, subfamily Empidinae, tribe Hemerodromiini. The genus contains approximately 27 described species distributed across the Americas, with records from North and South America. At least one species, N. parahebes, has been studied in detail and exhibits a life cycle tied to submerged decaying wood in freshwater streams, with predatory habits in both adult and larval stages.
Pachyneuridae
Pachyneuridae is a small family of flies in the infraorder Bibionomorpha, containing at least 8 described species across 7 genera. The family is poorly studied, with limited information on adult morphology and behavior. Larvae are known to inhabit rotting wood. The family has a scattered distribution with records from northern Europe and Southeast Asia.
Phileurus valgus
Phileurus valgus is a small dynastine scarab beetle in the tribe Phileurini, distributed from the southern United States through Central America and into South America. Adults are attracted to lights and have been found under bark of decaying wood. Larvae develop in rotting wood cavities. The species is sometimes mistaken for bess beetles (Passalidae) due to its flattened, parallel-sided body form.
Prostomidae
jugular-horned beetles, Red Log Beetles
Prostomidae is a small family of beetles comprising two extant genera (Prostomis and Dryocora) with approximately 20 species. These elongate, parallel-sided beetles are specialized inhabitants of dead wood, where both larvae and adults develop. The family exhibits a disjunct global distribution: Prostomis occurs in North America, Europe, Africa, the Pacific region and East Asia, while Dryocora is restricted to New Zealand, Australia and Tasmania. An extinct genus, Vetuprostomis, is known from mid-Cretaceous Burmese amber.
Prothalpia
Prothalpia is a genus of false darkling beetles in the family Melandryidae, established by LeConte in 1862. The genus contains at least four described species distributed across North America and East Asia. Members of this genus are small to medium-sized beetles associated with decaying wood and forest habitats. The genus is part of the diverse assemblage of saproxylic beetles that contribute to wood decomposition processes.
Upis ceramboides
Roughened Darkling Beetle, kökskörven
Upis ceramboides is a fire-dependent darkling beetle that colonizes burned deciduous trees, particularly birch. The species has declined in southern Sweden due to fire suppression and modern forestry, persisting mainly in northern Scandinavia, Alaska, and Canada. Adults exhibit extreme freeze tolerance, surviving temperatures well below freezing through unique biochemical adaptations including xylomannan antifreeze and threitol. Larvae develop in fire-damaged inner bark rich in fungal mycelia, with a two-to-three-year life cycle.
Xylobiini
Xylobiini is a tribe of false click beetles within the family Eucnemidae, subfamily Melasinae. Members of this tribe are associated with decaying wood habitats and are part of the diverse elateriform beetle fauna. The tribe was established by Reitter in 1911 and includes genera characterized by particular morphological features of the prosternal process and antennae. Xylobiini represents one of several tribes within the predominantly saproxylic subfamily Melasinae.
Xylota angustiventris
Two-spotted Leafwalker
Xylota angustiventris is an uncommon syrphid fly species found in northeastern North America. Adults are medium-sized hover flies measuring 12.2–14.4 mm, predominantly black with two distinct yellow spots on the abdomen in males. The species belongs to the genus Xylota, whose larvae typically develop in decaying wood or tree holes where they feed on sap or decaying organic matter rather than being predatory. Adults are associated with flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen.