''Megalodacne'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

fungivorous 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 ...

beetles in the family Erotylidae.

Description

Adult beetles of the genus ''Megalodacne'' range in size from , making them among the larger members of the family. Distinguishing characteristics of the genus along with other members of the subfamily Megalodacninae include large eyes and a lack of depressions in the club joint of the antennae. The first three

tarsomere The arthropod leg is a form of jointed appendage of arthropods, usually used for walking. Many of the terms used for arthropod leg segments (called podomeres) are of Latin origin, and may be confused with terms for bones: ''coxa'' (meaning hip, plur ...

s are also cylindrical and of similar shape and size, while the fourth is significantly shorter. Species of the genus ''Megalodacne'' closely resemble members of the genera ''

Episcapha ''Episcapha'' is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Salpingidae Salpingidae or narrow-waisted bark beetles is a family of beetles in the superfamily Tenebrionoidea. The species are small, about 1.5 – 7 mm in length. The famil ...

'' and '' Episcaphula'' (some members of which were formerly classified under ''Megalodacne''). They also often look superficially similar to several other beetles since the patterns of the markings of yellow, orange, or red on the elytra (called ''fascia'') of ''Megalodacne'' are shared by many other beetle species. An example of which is the sap beetle (

Nitidulidae The sap beetles, also known as Nitidulidae, are a family (biology), family of beetles. They are small (2–6 mm) ovoid, usually dull-coloured beetles, with knobbed antenna (biology), antennae. Some have red or yellow spots or bands. They fe ...

) genus ''

Glischrochilus ''Glischrochilus'' (sometimes misspelled as ''Glisrochilus'') is a genus of sap-feeding and predatory beetles under the Family (biology), family Nitidulidae, subfamily Cryptarchinae. Most members of this genus are commonly known as picnic beetles ...

''. Their native ranges sometimes overlap as well, making it easy to confuse the two (as with '' Megalodacne fasciata'', '' Megalodacne heros'', and the nitulidid '' Glischrochilus fasciatus'' from eastern

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

). The best way to tell them apart is by size, as sap beetles are generally small, ranging from in length. ''Glischrochilus'' reaches a maximum length of only . ''Megalodacne'' on the other hand are large beetles ranging from . The elytra of the sap beetles which most resemble ''Megalodacne'' also do not cover the whole abdomen and leave the last abdominal segment(s) exposed. The elytra of ''Megalodacne'', on the other hand, completely cover the abdomen.

Ecology

''Megalodacne'' species feed on harder

bracket fungi Polypores are a group of fungi that form large fruiting bodies with pores or tubes on the underside (see Delimitation for exceptions). They are a morphological group of basidiomycetes-like gilled mushrooms and hydnoid fungi, and not all polypor ...

than smaller members of the family. The fungi eaten include ''

Ganoderma ''Ganoderma'' is a genus of polypore fungi in the family Ganodermataceae that includes about 80 species, many from tropical regions. They have a high genetic diversity and are used in traditional Asian medicines. ''Ganoderma'' can be differenti ...

'' and ''

Fomes ''Fomes'' is a genus of perennial woody fungi in the family Polyporaceae. Species are typically hoof-shaped (ungulate). New growth each season is added to the margin, resulting in a downward extension of the hymenium. This often results in a z ...

'' species. Some

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

nocturnal Nocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal", versus diurnal meaning the opposite. Nocturnal creatures generally have highly developed sens ...

species of ''Megalodacne'' are attracted to light.

Life cycle

''Megalodacne'' deposit eggs on the fungi on which they feed. Upon hatching, 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. The ...

e, like adults, also feed on the fruiting bodies of

by burrowing into it. There are two kinds of larvae of ''Megalodacne'' depending on the species. In some species, the larvae are elongated and feed on fungi by drilling holes inside of it. In others, the larvae feed alongside adults by gnawing out shallow depressions on the fruiting bodies of fungi. The latter larvae are sluggish, heavily sclerotized, and somewhat flattened. The larval stage takes about 2 to 3 months from egg to

pupa A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...

tion. It is not uncommon to see adults feeding along with larvae.

Taxonomy and systematics

''Megalodacne'' was first described by George Robert Crotch in 1873. The

type species In zoological nomenclature, a type species (''species typica'') is the species name with which the name of a genus or subgenus is considered to be permanently taxonomically associated, i.e., the species that contains the biological type specimen ...

is '' Megalodacne fasciata''. The genus ''Megalodacne'' is classified in the subfamily Megalodacninae, alongside the genera ''

'' and '' Episcaphula''.

List of species

Species of ''Megalodacne'' include: *'' Megalodacne bellula'' (Lewis, 1883) – Japan, Korea, & China *'' Megalodacne chinensis'' (Crotch, 1876) – China *'' Megalodacne elongatula'' (Crotch, 1876) – Southeast Asia *'' Megalodacne fasciata'' (Fabricius, 1777) – eastern

*'' Megalodacne grandipennis'' (Fairmaire, 1891) –

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

*'' Megalodacne grandis'' (Fabricius, 1792) - Africa *'' Megalodacne heros'' (Say, 1823) – eastern North America *'' Megalodacne immaculata'' (Chûjô and Kiuchi, 1963) – Japan *'' Megalodacne marginata'' (Arrow, 1925) – Assam *'' Megalodacne promensis'' (Arrow, 1925) – Burma, China *'' Megalodacne similima'' (Crotch, 1876) – Sarawak, Sumatra *'' Megalodacne varia'' (Gorham, 1889) – Malaysia

References

External links

* * {{Taxonbar, from=Q1981573 Erotylidae Cucujoidea genera