Wow, doing some research
I have found bugs with the exact shape but nothing simular to the pattern. Seen at the Aiken Canyon Preserve near Colorado Springs. Ever seen one of these? I thought it was a carrion beetle just because the shell looks like it is decaying. Platyphora haroldi. Could it be some sort of flat footed beetle?
Steven Phend
Hi Steven,
This little gem is a Pleasing Fungus Beetle, Gibbifer californicus. According to BugGuide, it is found in “Southwestern United States: Kansas, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, south into Mexico.” Additionally: “Adults feed on nectar, pollen, and some fungi. Larvae feed on fungi that are attacking wood.”
¶ Posted 15 January 2008 § ‡ ° Dear Bugman,
First of all, i think this is the single most fascinating website I have ever seen. Whenever I visit, I sit and read for hours (much longer than i should). Anyway, last spring my red maple failed to produce a single bud or leaf (I supposed it had died during the winter). No explanation of this tragedy presented itself. This afternoon, however, I was looking around for some foliage for my pets, when I saw that the bark was starting to fall off of the red maple’s trunk. Being extremely curious, I pulled some bark from the tree and found these beetles overwintering underneath. Could you identify them for me? And could they be responsible for my young tree’s demise? Thank you so much,
Annie Baker, Maryland
Hi Annie,
Thank you so much for your very kind letter. Your beetles are Pleasing Fungus Beetles, probably in the genus Megalodacne. We believe they are Megalodacne fasciata though it is difficult to be certain in a photo. According to our Field Guide to the Insects of America North of Mexico by Borror and White: Pleasing Fungus Beetles “are usually found on fungi or in rotten wood; some are fairly common. Adults hibernate under bark, often in groups.” The beetles are not responsible for the demise of your tree, but they are feeding on the fungus that is assisting in its decomposition.
¶ Posted 05 January 2008 § ‡ ° Leaf Beetle from Panama
Bugman,
Since I’ve sent you two unknown spiders and a caterpillar from Panama, I thought I’d send you one that I believe I have identified. I believe this is Platyphora boucardi, in the family Chrysomelidae, and has been featured on a Panamanian stamp.
Allen Chartier
http://www.amazilia.net/
Hi Allen,
Though the color and markings are similar, the legs and clubbed antennae of your beetle are different from the Platyphora boucardi images we located online. We aren’t even convinced your beetle is in the same family. It might be a Pleasing Fungus Beetle in the family Erotylidae. Perhaps one of our readers can supply additional information.
Daniel:
You are absolutely correct: the beetle is one of the pleasing fungus beetles in the family Erotylidae. Great job, I always get those two families of fungus beetles confused:-)
Eric
¶ Posted 03 January 2008 § ‡ ° Costa Rican Fungus Beetle?
Is this a fungus beetle? It looks a lot like Gibbifer californicus, but lacks the patch of black in the middle of the abdomen that I’ve seen in every photo of the Pleasing Fungus Beetle. This beetle also seems to have a lighter blue color and has a black patch on the posteriormost tip. Could it be a relative? It was found at about 1000m elevation on the Pedregal Hill of the Cacao Volcano within the Área de Conservación Guanacaste, northwestern Costa Rica.
Scully
Hi Scully
According to BugGuide, Gibbifer californicus, one of the Pleasing Fungus Beetles, ranges into Mexico. Chances are good that it ignores the international borders and can be found in Costa Rica as well. If this is not the same species, it is at least the correct genus. There are often individual variations between the coloration of individuals and even more so in isolated populations.
¶ Posted 10 June 2007 § ‡ ° Fungus Beetles
You guys have a great site! I found a dead tree while hiking near Colorado Springs today that had 50-100 of these beetles on it. Many of them were copulating (sorry I didn’t get pics for your insect sex page). I’ve seen them before and wondered what they were. After looking through 6 pages of beetle pics I finally found it. Thanks so much! Further research seems to say that the scientific name has changed to Gibbifer californicus, but it is definitely the right beetle. I’m attaching a picture even though the one you have is probably better.
Heidi
Hi Heidi,
Thank you for taking the time to forward your photo of a Pleasing Fungus Beetle. We think is is quite good.
¶ Posted 31 May 2007 § ‡ ° Bug question for the Bugman
Hello Bugman,
What an amazing and beautiful website! I wish I stumbled across it sooner. It is a great inspiration; it makes me want to learn more about these awesome creatures. Thank you. We found this beetle crawling on a rock near a mountain stream in Colorado. It was sometime around October, 2005. Any ideas? I tried looking it up but had no luck.
alicia
Hi Alicia
We decided to check in on Eric Eaton for help and he quickly responded: ” It’s a pleasing fungus beetle, Gibbifer californicus, in the family Erotylidae. This is one of the larger, more spectacular species, found in the southwest U.S.” The adults and larvae both feed on a variety of wood rotting fungi, hence the name Pleasing Fungus Beetle. Additional research turned up this amusing name: Humpty Dumpty Erotylidae.
¶ Posted 20 January 2006 § ‡ ° Variety of burying beetle or…..?
Hi!
I think it’s great that there are so many people out there who are
interested enough in bugs to find out what they are. And I think it’s even better that there is a site where people can go to get help from well-educated and dedicated people such as you. Thanks! Now, on to my bug. I found these in a rotten area of a maple tree in my yard here in northeast Ohio. Looking through your site, I saw many pictures of burying beetles which look quite similar. But these little guys seem to have larger red bands and the head and thorax do not seem so prominent. Any ideas?
-Steven
Hi Steven,
This is a new genus for our site. This is a Pleasing Fungus Beetle in the genus Megalodacne. They are often found in colonies in rotten wood and beneath loose bark. There are two possible species, M. fasciata which grows 9-15 mm and M. heros which is considerably larger, ranging 18-21 mm.
¶ Posted 25 September 2005 § ‡ ° 
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