''Typhaea stercorea'' is a cosmopolitan

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...

of the

family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...

Mycetophagidae The Mycetophagidae or hairy fungus beetles are a family of beetles in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. The different species are between 1.0 and 6.5 mm in length. The larvae and adults live in decaying leaf litter, fungi, and under bark. Most ...

, known by the

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

hairy fungus beetle.

Description

Adult ''T. stercorea'' are 2.2–3.0 mm long, oval, brown, flattened, and have hairy

elytra An elytron (; ; : elytra, ) 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 (sometime ...

with parallel lines of fine hairs. Antennae are 3 segmented and the head is readily visible from above, distinguishing the hairy fungus beetle from some similar species. At 25 °C and 80-90 RH, development from egg to adult takes 21 to 33 days. The

larvae A larva (; : larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect developmental biology, development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typical ...

are able to move easily and the adults can run fast and fly well. It is a generalist feeder associated with moldy or damp conditions. Its presence in stored grain indicates poor storage conditions. It is a minor pest of freshly harvested or slightly damp grain. Damage is not distinctive and is caused by both adult and larval feeding. Stored products consumed include: moldy cereals, tobacco, peanuts, and hay. The species also eats

fungi A fungus (: fungi , , , or ; or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and mold (fungus), molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as one ...

that grow on damp food. This species has been found in grain storages dating back to the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

Habitat

The species can be found on ripening hay and grain crops before

harvest Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

and

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

areas.

Disease vector

It was discovered in 1994 that this species can carry ''

Salmonella enterica ''Salmonella enterica'' (formerly ''Salmonella choleraesuis'') is a rod-shaped, flagellate, facultative anaerobic, Gram-negative bacterium and a species of the genus ''Salmonella''. It is divided into six subspecies, arizonae (IIIa), diarizonae ...

'' serovar Infantis. The species carried the bacterium into a Danish broiler house that infected 39,900 newly hatched chicks. The chicks were infected by eating the beetles. A study of species of beetles in broiler houses, including this species, showed that the beetles that are in broiler houses are likely to carry ''Salmonella''. The research also showed that the species can carry ''Salmonella enterica'' and ''

Campylobacter ''Campylobacter'' is a type of bacteria that can cause a diarrheal disease in people. Its name means "curved bacteria", as the germ typically appears in a comma or "s" shape. According to its scientific classification, it is a genus of gram-negat ...

'' spp.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q613211 Tenebrionoidea Beetles described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Cosmopolitan insects