''Cryptophagus'' is a genus of
beetles in the family
Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus beetles and both adults and larvae appear to feed exclusively on fungi although in a wide vari ...
, the silken fungus beetles. It is distributed across all the
biogeographic realms of the world.
[Lyubarsky, G. Y. and E. E. Perkovsky. (2011)]
Third contribution on Rovno amber silken fungus beetles: a new Eocene species of ''Cryptophagus'' (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae).
''ZooKeys'' (130), 255-61. Like most of the other beetles in the family,
[ these are ]fungivore
Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and oth ...
s, feeding on fungal spore
In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...
s and hypha
A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
Structure
A hypha consists of one o ...
e.[''Cryptophagus'' spp.]
Canadian Grain Commission. 2013.
These beetles are flattened and oval in shape, and are generally 2 to 3 millimeters long. They are reddish to dark brown, sometimes with yellowish patterns on the elytra
An elytron (; ; , ) is a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera), though a few of the true bugs ( Hemiptera) such as the family Schizopteridae are extremely similar; in true bugs, the forewings are called hemelytra (sometimes altern ...
. The thorax is often sculptured with teeth, angles, or other projections. Some are hairy. The larva
A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle.
Th ...
is usually yellow-brown and cylindrical but flattened, with visible legs.[
Some species are considered ]pests
PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...
when they inhabit stores of grain
A grain is a small, hard, dry fruit ( caryopsis) – with or without an attached hull layer – harvested for human or animal consumption. A grain crop is a grain-producing plant. The two main types of commercial grain crops are cereals and legu ...
, flour
Flour is a powder made by grinding raw grains, roots, beans, nuts, or seeds. Flours are used to make many different foods. Cereal flour, particularly wheat flour, is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many c ...
, bread, dried fruit
Dried fruit is fruit from which the majority of the original water content has been removed either naturally, through sun drying, or through the use of specialized dryers or dehydrators. Dried fruit has a long tradition of use dating back to th ...
, and other products, however, the beetles feed on fungi growing on the food product rather than the product itself. They also breed in the fungi, laying eggs in the hyphae. They are more common in products that are damp and moldy. The beetles can transmit fungal spores to products, encouraging mold growth. In Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
the beetles are common in the grain-producing prairie
Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...
regions.[
These beetles can be found in other habitats where fungi are available, such as ]beehive
A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus ''Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...
s, the nests of other hymenopterans such as wasp
A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. Th ...
s and ant
Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of 22,0 ...
s, rodent nests, and wool
Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool.
...
.[Lyubarsky, G. Y. and E. E. Perkovsky. (2012)]
The first Eocene species of the genus ''Cryptophagus'' (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae).
''Vestnik Zoologii'' 46(1), 83-87.
Species include:''Cryptophagus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
*''Cryptophagus acutangulus
''Cryptophagus acutangulus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle native to Europe.Johnson, C.1992 Familie: Cryptophagidae. In: ''Die Käfer Mitteleuropas'', vol.2 Goecke and Evers. Krefeld: 114-134
References
External linksImages representing ...
'' – acute-angled fungus beetle
*''Cryptophagus bidentatus
''Cryptophagus bidentatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...
''
*''Cryptophagus cellaris
''Cryptophagus cellaris'', known generally as the cellar beetle or cellar fungus beetle, is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic r ...
'' – cellar fungus beetle
*''Cryptophagus confertus''
*''Cryptophagus corticinus
''Cryptophagus corticinus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...
''
*''Cryptophagus croceus''
*''Cryptophagus dentatus
''Cryptophagus dentatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus ...
''
*''Cryptophagus difficilis
''Cryptophagus difficilis'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...
''
*''Cryptophagus discedens
''Cryptophagus discedens'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungu ...
''
*''Cryptophagus distinguendus''
*''Cryptophagus fallax
''Cryptophagus fallax'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus b ...
''
*''Cryptophagus fumidulus''
*''Cryptophagus hebes''
*''Cryptophagus hexagonalis''
*''Cryptophagus histricus''
*''Cryptophagus jakowlewi''
*''Cryptophagus lapponicus
''Cryptophagus lapponicus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...
''
*'' Cryptophagus latens''
*''Cryptophagus laticollis
''Cryptophagus laticollis'' is a silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae. The species was first described by Hippolyte Lucas in 1849. It is found in Europe, northern Asia (excluding China) and North America.
References
Further re ...
''
*''Cryptophagus lecontei''
*''Cryptophagus lycoperdi''
*''Cryptophagus mainensis''
*''Cryptophagus maximus''
*''Cryptophagus nobilis''
*''Cryptophagus obsoletus''
*''Cryptophagus peregrinus''
*''Cryptophagus pilosus
''Cryptophagus pilosus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle native to Europe.Johnson, C.1992 Familie: Cryptophagidae. In: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas, vol.2 Goecke and Evers. Krefeld: 114-134 It is also present in the northwestern United States, w ...
''
*''Cryptophagus plenus''
*''Cryptophagus politus''
*''Cryptophagus porrectus''
*''Cryptophagus quadrihamatus''
*''Cryptophagus saginatus
''Cryptophagus saginatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungu ...
''
*''Cryptophagus scanicus
''Cryptophagus scanicus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle native to Europe.Johnson, C.1992 Familie: Cryptophagidae. In: Die Käfer Mitteleuropas, vol.2 Goecke and Evers. Krefeld: 114-134
References
External linksImages representing ''Cry ...
''
*''Cryptophagus scutellatus''
*''Cryptophagus setulosus
''Cryptophagus setulosus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungu ...
''
*''Cryptophagus stromus
''Cryptophagus stromus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus ...
''
*''Cryptophagus subfumatus
''Cryptophagus subfumatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...
''
*''Cryptophagus tuberculosus''
*''Cryptophagus valens
''Cryptophagus valens'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus b ...
''
*''Cryptophagus varus
''Cryptophagus varus'', the sigmoid fungus beetle, is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are comm ...
'' – sigmoid fungus beetle
*''Cryptophagus vestigialis''
Some fossil
A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...
species have been discovered in amber
Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In M ...
and as compression fossil
A compression fossil is a fossil preserved in sedimentary rock that has undergone physical compression. While it is uncommon to find animals preserved as good compression fossils, it is very common to find plants preserved this way. The reason f ...
s in rock:[
*''Cryptophagus alexagrestis''
*''Cryptophagus bassleri''
*''Cryptophagus harenus''][
*''Cryptophagus petricola''
*''Cryptophagus suncholensis''
]
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q14930525
Cryptophagidae
Cucujoidea genera