More than 2200 species of the wild flora and fauna photographed in Zihuatanejo, Guerrero, Mexico and the surrounding area.
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Beetles of Zihuatanejo
ORDER COLEOPTERA
Pleasing Fungus Beetle
Aegithus melaspis
-Arthropods (Phylum Arthropoda)
-Hexapods (Subphylum Hexapoda)
-Winged and Once-winged Insects (Subclass Pterygota)
-Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf, and Snout Beetles (Suborder Polyphaga)
-Cucujiform Beetles (Infraorder Cucujiformia)
-Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Family Erotylidae)
-Subfamily Erotylinae
-Tribe Erotylini
-Genus Aegithus
-Aegithus melaspis
Aegithus melaspis is a species of pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae. Members of this group are typically associated with fungi, especially bracket fungi and other wood-decaying mushrooms, and are most diverse in tropical regions, including Mexico and Central America. Both adults and larvae are believed to feed on fungi, contributing to the breakdown and recycling of organic material in forest ecosystems.
Diet
Larvae: Feed on decaying wood, fungi, and decomposing organic matter within rotting logs and dead tree branches.
Adults: Believed to feed primarily on fungi, fungal spores, decaying plant material, and tree sap, as is typical of most members of the family Trogossitidae.
Range
Native to Mexico and Central America.
In Mexico, it has been recorded from tropical and subtropical regions, including the Pacific coast of Guerrero and the Zihuatanejo region.
Its range extends south into Central America, where it inhabits forested environments.
Habitat
Inhabits tropical dry forests, tropical rainforests, secondary forests, and woodland edges.
Most commonly found beneath the loose bark of dead or dying trees, inside rotting logs, and within decaying wood colonized by fungi.
Adults are occasionally attracted to freshly fallen timber and sap flows.
Size
Adult length: 8–15 mm (0.3–0.6 in)
Body elongated, somewhat flattened, and dark brown to black with a hard, glossy exoskeleton.