''Cryptophilus'' is a genus of
pleasing fungus beetle
''Ischyrus quadripunctatus''
Erotylidae, or the pleasing fungus beetles, is a family of beetles belonging to Cucujoidea containing over 100 genera. In the present circumscription, it contains 6 tribes ( Tritomini, Dacnini, Megalodacnini, Er ...
s in the family
Erotylidae
''Ischyrus quadripunctatus''
Erotylidae, or the pleasing fungus beetles, is a family of beetles belonging to Cucujoidea containing over 100 genera. In the present circumscription, it contains 6 tribes ( Tritomini, Dacnini, Megalodacnini, E ...
. There are about nine described species in ''Cryptophilus''.
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Identification
''Cryptophilus'' adults are brown and slightly hairy beetles, 1.6-2.3 mm long and with 3-segmented antennal
Antennae ( antenna), sometimes referred to as "feelers", are paired appendages used for sensing in arthropods.
Antennae are connected to the first one or two segments of the arthropod head. They vary widely in form but are always made of one o ...
clubs.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 ...
.Monotoma
''Monotoma'' is a genus of beetles in the family Monotomidae
Monotomidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea. The family is found worldwide, with approximately 240 species in 33 genera. The ecological habits of the family are ...
'' (Monotomidae
Monotomidae is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea. The family is found worldwide, with approximately 240 species in 33 genera. The ecological habits of the family are diverse, with different members of the group being found under t ...
) or ''Epuraea
''Epuraea'' is a genus of sap-feeding beetles in the family Nitidulidae, first described in 1843 by Wilhelm Ferdinand Erichson. There are at least 40 described species in ''Epuraea''. Their most notable food source is sap but these beetles also ...
'' (Nitidulidae
The sap beetles, also known as Nitidulidae, are a family of beetles.
They are small (2–6 mm) ovoid, usually dull-coloured beetles, with knobbed antennae. Some have red or yellow spots or bands. They feed mainly on decaying vegetable matt ...
), which occur in similar habitats. ''Cryptophilus'' larvae can be recognised by their mandibles
In anatomy, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is the largest, strongest and lowest bone in the human facial skeleton. It forms the lower jaw and holds the lower teeth in place. The mandible sits beneath the maxilla. It is the only movable bone ...
, which lack a sub-apical accessory tooth and have a large, subtriangular prostheca.
Ecology
''Cryptophilus'' occur in decaying plant matter (e.g. leaf litter
Plant litter (also leaf litter, tree litter, soil litter, litterfall or duff) is dead plant material (such as leaves, bark, needles, twigs, and cladodes) that have fallen to the ground. This detritus or dead organic material and its constituent ...
, wood debris, compost
Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting ...
heaps, grass cuttings, straw
Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a numbe ...
) and also in stored food products (e.g. cereals
A cereal is any grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran. Cereal grain crops are grown in greater quantities and provide more foo ...
, beans
A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes t ...
, 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 ...
, 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 ...
, nuts
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed, or a collective noun for dry and edible fruits or seeds
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut or Nuts may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Com ...
).mould
A mold () or mould () is one of the structures certain fungi can form. The dust-like, colored appearance of molds is due to the formation of spores containing fungal secondary metabolites. The spores are the dispersal units of the fungi. No ...
.
Species
These nine species belong to the genus ''Cryptophilus'':
* '' Cryptophilus cryptophagoides'' Grouvelle, 1916
* '' Cryptophilus fluminalis'' Casey, 1924
* '' Cryptophilus integer'' (Heer, 1841)
* '' Cryptophilus minimus'' Grouvelle, 1913
* '' Cryptophilus mirus'' Grouvelle, 1913
* '' Cryptophilus obliteratus'' Reitter, 1878
* '' Cryptophilus propinguus'' Reitter, 1874
* '' Cryptophilus propinquus'' Reitter, 1874
* ''Cryptophilus seriatus
''Cryptophilus seriatus'' is a species of pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae
''Ischyrus quadripunctatus''
Erotylidae, or the pleasing fungus beetles, is a family of beetles belonging to Cucujoidea containing over 100 genera. ...
'' Casey, 1924
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
Erotylidae
Articles created by Qbugbot
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