''Cryptophagus'' is a genus of

beetle Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 describ ...

s in the family

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 ...

, the silken fungus beetles. It is distributed across all the

biogeographic realm A biogeographic realm or ecozone is the broadest biogeographic division of Earth's land surface, based on distributional patterns of terrestrial organisms. They are subdivided into bioregions, which are further subdivided into ecoregions. De ...

s of the world.Lyubarsky, G. Y. and E. E. Perkovsky. (2011)
Third contribution on Rovno amber silken fungus beetles: a new Eocene species of ''Cryptophagus'' (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae).
''ZooKeys'' (130), 255-61. Like most of the other beetles in the family, these are

fungivore Fungivory or mycophagy is the process of organisms consuming fungi. Many different organisms have been recorded to gain their energy from consuming fungi, including birds, mammals, insects, plants, amoebas, gastropods, nematodes, bacteria and oth ...

s, feeding on fungal spores and hyphae.''Cryptophagus'' spp.
Canadian Grain Commission. 2013. These beetles are flattened and oval in shape, and are generally 2 to 3 millimeters long. They are reddish to dark brown, sometimes with yellowish patterns on the

elytra An elytron (; ; , ) 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 (sometimes alterna ...

. The thorax is often sculptured with teeth, angles, or other projections. Some are hairy. The

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

is usually yellow-brown and cylindrical but flattened, with visible legs. Some species are considered

pests PESTS was an anonymous American activist group formed in 1986 to critique racism, tokenism, and exclusion in the art world. PESTS produced newsletters, posters, and other print material highlighting examples of discrimination in gallery represent ...

when they inhabit stores of grain, flour, bread,

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 ...

, and other products, however, the beetles feed on fungi growing on the food product rather than the product itself. They also breed in the fungi, laying eggs in the hyphae. They are more common in products that are damp and moldy. The beetles can transmit fungal spores to products, encouraging mold growth. In

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

the beetles are common in the grain-producing

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

regions. These beetles can be found in other habitats where fungi are available, such as

beehive A beehive is an enclosed structure in which some honey bee species of the subgenus '' Apis'' live and raise their young. Though the word ''beehive'' is commonly used to describe the nest of any bee colony, scientific and professional literature ...

s, the nests of other hymenopterans such as

wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...

s and

ant Ants are eusocial insects of the family Formicidae and, along with the related wasps and bees, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Ants evolved from vespoid wasp ancestors in the Cretaceous period. More than 13,800 of an estimated total of ...

s, rodent nests, and

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

.Lyubarsky, G. Y. and E. E. Perkovsky. (2012)
The first Eocene species of the genus ''Cryptophagus'' (Coleoptera, Clavicornia, Cryptophagidae).
''Vestnik Zoologii'' 46(1), 83-87. Species include:''Cryptophagus''.
Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).

*''

Cryptophagus acutangulus ''Cryptophagus acutangulus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle native to Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and tra ...

'' – acute-angled fungus beetle *''

Cryptophagus bidentatus ''Cryptophagus bidentatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...

'' *''

Cryptophagus cellaris ''Cryptophagus cellaris'', known generally as the cellar beetle or cellar fungus beetle, is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic r ...

'' – cellar fungus beetle *''Cryptophagus confertus'' *''

Cryptophagus corticinus ''Cryptophagus corticinus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...

'' *''Cryptophagus croceus'' *''

Cryptophagus dentatus ''Cryptophagus dentatus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus ...

'' *''

Cryptophagus difficilis ''Cryptophagus difficilis'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...

'' *''

Cryptophagus discedens ''Cryptophagus discedens'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungu ...

'' *''Cryptophagus distinguendus'' *''

Cryptophagus fallax ''Cryptophagus fallax'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus b ...

'' *''Cryptophagus fumidulus'' *''Cryptophagus hebes'' *''Cryptophagus hexagonalis'' *''Cryptophagus histricus'' *''Cryptophagus jakowlewi'' *''

Cryptophagus lapponicus ''Cryptophagus lapponicus'' is a species of silken fungus beetle in the family Cryptophagidae Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fung ...

'' *'' Cryptophagus latens'' *'' Cryptophagus laticollis'' *''Cryptophagus lecontei'' *''Cryptophagus lycoperdi'' *''Cryptophagus mainensis'' *''Cryptophagus maximus'' *''Cryptophagus nobilis'' *''Cryptophagus obsoletus'' *''Cryptophagus peregrinus'' *'' Cryptophagus pilosus'' *''Cryptophagus plenus'' *''Cryptophagus politus'' *''Cryptophagus porrectus'' *''Cryptophagus quadrihamatus'' *'' Cryptophagus saginatus'' *'' Cryptophagus scanicus'' *''Cryptophagus scutellatus'' *'' Cryptophagus setulosus'' *'' Cryptophagus stromus'' *'' Cryptophagus subfumatus'' *''Cryptophagus tuberculosus'' *'' Cryptophagus valens'' *'' Cryptophagus varus'' – sigmoid fungus beetle *''Cryptophagus vestigialis'' Some

fossil A fossil (from Classical Latin , ) is any preserved remains, impression, or trace of any once-living thing from a past geological age. Examples include bones, shells, exoskeletons, stone imprints of animals or microbes, objects preserved ...

species have been discovered in

amber Amber is fossilized tree resin that has been appreciated for its color and natural beauty since Neolithic times. Much valued from antiquity to the present as a gemstone, amber is made into a variety of decorative objects."Amber" (2004). In ...

and as

compression fossil A compression fossil is a fossil preserved in sedimentary rock that has undergone physical compression. While it is uncommon to find animals preserved as good compression fossils, it is very common to find plants preserved this way. The reason f ...

s in rock: *''Cryptophagus alexagrestis'' *''Cryptophagus bassleri'' *''Cryptophagus harenus'' *''Cryptophagus petricola'' *''Cryptophagus suncholensis''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q14930525 Cryptophagidae Cucujoidea genera