''Cyclaxyra'' is a genus of cucujoid beetles in the family
Cyclaxyridae
Cyclaxyridae are a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea. The only living genus is ''Cyclaxyra'', with two species endemic to New Zealand. Other species have been named from fossils. They are also known as sooty mould beetles due to the ...
, and the sole extant genus in the family, others being known only from fossils.
[Gimmel, M.L., Szawaryn K., Cai C. & Leschen R.A.B. (2019) Mesozoic sooty mould beetles as living relicts in New Zealand. Proc. R. Soc. B, DOI:10.1098/rspb.2019.2176] There are two described species in ''Cyclaxyra'', found on the North Island, South Island, and Stewart Island of New Zealand.
[ It is an inhabitant of New Zealand's ]sooty mould
Sooty mold (also spelled sooty mould) is a collective term for different Ascomycete fungi, which includes many genera, commonly ''Cladosporium'' and ''Alternaria''. It grows on plants and their fruit, but also environmental objects, like fences, ...
habitat and are mycophagous
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 othe ...
, feeding on spores, conidia
A conidium ( ; ), sometimes termed an asexual chlamydospore or chlamydoconidium (), is an asexual, non-motile spore of a fungus. The word ''conidium'' comes from the Ancient Greek word for dust, ('). They are also called mitospores due to the ...
, and hyphae
A hypha (; ) is a long, branching, filamentous structure of a fungus, oomycete, or actinobacterium. In most fungi, hyphae are the main mode of vegetative growth, and are collectively called a mycelium.
Structure
A hypha consists of one or ...
.Phalacridae
The Phalacridae are a family of beetles commonly called the shining flower beetles, They are often found in composite flowers. They are oval-shaped, usually tan, and aboout 2 mm in length. Most species feed on fungus, although a number feed ...
in the past, but is now considered the only living genus of the family Cyclaxyridae.[ Fossil genera include '' Neolitochropus'' from Eocene aged ]Bitterfeld amber
The Baltic region is home to the largest known deposit of amber, called Baltic amber or succinite. It was produced sometime during the Eocene epoch, but exactly when is controversial. It has been estimated that these forests created more than 1 ...
in Germany and '' Electroxyra'' (formerly considered a member of ''Cyclaxyra'') from Cenomanian aged Burmese amber
Burmese amber, also known as Burmite or Kachin amber, is amber from the Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar. The amber is dated to around 100 million years ago, during the latest Albian to earliest Cenomanian ages of the mid-Cretaceous period. The ...
from Myanmar.
Species
These two species belong to the genus ''Cyclaxyra'':
* ''Cyclaxyra jelineki
''Cyclaxyra jelineki'' is a species of cucujoid beetle in the family Cyclaxyridae
Cyclaxyridae are a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea. The only living genus is '' Cyclaxyra'', with two species endemic to New Zealand. Other specie ...
'' Gimmel, 2009
* ''Cyclaxyra politula
''Cyclaxyra politula'' is a species of cucujoid beetle in the family Cyclaxyridae
Cyclaxyridae are a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea. The only living genus is '' Cyclaxyra'', with two species endemic to New Zealand. Other specie ...
'' (Broun, 1881)
References
Cucujoidea genera
{{cucujoidea-stub