Mycetophagidae
Encyclopedia
Mycetophagidae or The hairy fungus beetles is a family of beetle
s, in the large suborder Polyphaga
. The different species are between 1.0 - 6.5 mm in length. The larvae
and adults live in decaying leaf litter, fungi and under bark
. Most species feed on fungi (hence the name). Worldwide, there are about 18 genera which 200 species.
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s, in the large suborder Polyphaga
Polyphaga
Polyphaga is the largest and most diverse suborder of beetles; the name is derived from two two Greek words: poly-, meaning 'many', and phagein, meaning 'to eat', so the suborder is called the “eaters of many things”...
. The different species are between 1.0 - 6.5 mm in length. The larvae
Larvae
In Roman mythology, lemures were shades or spirits of the restless or malignant dead, and are probably cognate with an extended sense of larvae as disturbing or frightening...
and adults live in decaying leaf litter, fungi and under bark
Bark
Bark is the outermost layers of stems and roots of woody plants. Plants with bark include trees, woody vines and shrubs. Bark refers to all the tissues outside of the vascular cambium and is a nontechnical term. It overlays the wood and consists of the inner bark and the outer bark. The inner...
. Most species feed on fungi (hence the name). Worldwide, there are about 18 genera which 200 species.