Mycophilous Beetle Diversity
The most common question heard at a mushroom festival is “can I eat it?”. I like to take that question and turn it around a little and instead ask “what eats it?” A whole world opens up that I find far more interesting than “will this mushroom give me gastro if I eat it?” Mushrooms don’t grow just so we can eat them or worry if they are going to poison us. They are the fruiting bodies of much larger organisms and they are a food source for many, many creatures. There are the bigger beasts like deer and bear which eat fungi, while squirrels are also known to collect and eat some mushrooms. The rasping marks of slugs and snails tongues are not uncommon on mushrooms showing they eat them as well. However, it is the insects which are really associated with fungi. Some of them spend their entire lifecycle living in, on and around them.
I like to find beetles and I really like to find beetles I have not seen before. Occasionally they are new to me, occasionally they are new for an area (like Whistler), a province, or even new to science. One of the best ways to find beetles that I have not seen before is to look in new habitats. Now habitats can be as different as a forest versus a field or can appear much more similar but show a big difference when studied closely. Did you know that fallen dead wood compared to standing dead wood have different species of beetles associated with them? Enter mushrooms, each group of species is a completely different habitat when it comes to beetles.
Mycophilous means “fungus loving” and where you find fungi you will usually find one or many different species of mycophilous beetle… occasionally in big numbers. From classic mushrooms, to mold and crust fungi, and even the hard bracket fungus found on trees, there are beetles to be found on and within. There are entire families of beetles which only feed and/ or reproduce on fungi. Everything from the minute tree fungus beetles (family: Ciidae) to the round fungus beetles (Leoididae), and hairy fungus beetles (Mycetophagidae). I should not forget the pleasing fungus beetles (Erotylidae) and handsome fungus beetles (Endomychidae) named to remind everyone how beautiful beetles are! Then there are some species in more well-known families which are usually not associated with fungi. The fungus eating lady beetles (such as the Twenty Spotted Lady Beetle, Psyllobora vigintimaculata) exclusively eats powdery mildew. By far the most diverse family associated with fungi are the Rove beetles (Staphylinidae).
Next time you see a mushroom take a closer look and see if there are any beetles. Don’t forget to look on the underside, a gentle tap can encourage them to crawl or drop out from between the gills.
Oh and the next time you are at a mushroom festival…
Our annual Fungus Among Us Festival is October 16th and 17th, see the homepage for more details.
Written by Scott Gilmore
Over many years participating in Whistler BioBlitz events, Scott has identified dozens of new species now on the Whistler master list. He will give a short talk about insects and mushrooms at Fungus Among Us on Friday, October 16th. Go to our homepage for ticket information.
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