Cypherotylus californicus

Cypherotylus californicus, sometimes known as the blue fungus beetle or blue pleasing fungus beetle, is a species of pleasing fungus beetle in the family Erotylidae. It is recorded from Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Kansas, and the Mexican state of Sonora.[1]

Cypherotylus californicus
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Erotylidae
Genus: Cypherotylus
Species:
C. californicus
Binomial name
Cypherotylus californicus
(Lacordaire, 1842)
Synonyms
  • Erotylus californicus Lacordaire, 1842
  • Cypherotylus asperus Crotch, 1873
  • Gibbifer californicus (Lacordaire, 1842)

Biology

It starts its life in the spring when it hatches from an egg and pupates in the summer. It mates and lays eggs in the late summer and early fall. It feeds on the Conk Fungus it can find growing on logs and trees. Their elytra are blue with black dots, and it turns grey as they age.

Cypherotylus californicus feeding on fungus
larva of Cypherotylus californicus

References
  1. Branham, M.A. (1993) A new eastern record for Cypherotylus californicus Lacordaire in the United States (Coleoptera: Erotylidae). Coleopterists Bulletin 47: 81–82. JSTOR

Further reading
  • Lobl, I.; Smetana, A., eds. (2007). Catalogue of Palaearctic Coleoptera, Volume 4: Elateroidea - Derodontoidea - Bostrichoidea - Lymexyloidea - Cleroidea - Cucujoidea. Apollo Books. ISBN 978-8788757675.


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