''Tasmosalpingus'' is the only genus in the
beetle
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...
family Tasmosalpingidae (superfamily
Cucujoidea
Cucujoidea is a superfamily of beetles. This group formerly included all of the families now included in the superfamily Coccinelloidea. They include some fungus beetles and a diversity of lineages of "bark beetles" unrelated to the "true" bark ...
). There are two species in ''Tasmosalpingus'', found in Australia in Tasmania, Victoria and New South Wales.
Adults have been collected using
malaise traps, while a possible larval specimen was found under the bark of the podocarp ''
Phyllocladus aspleniifolius.'' Gut contents indicate that they are
mycophagous
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 othe ...
, feeding on fungal
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 or ...
e.
[
]
Species
These species belong to the genus ''Tasmosalpingus'':
References
Cucujoidea genera
Beetles of Australia
Endemic fauna of Australia
{{Cucujoidea-stub