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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Cucujiformia » Cucujoidea » Cucujid series » Silken Fungus Beetles (Cryptophagidae) » Cryptophaginae » Cryptophagini » Antherophagus

Genus Antherophagus

Classification · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Food · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited

ID please for small light brown bug - Antherophagus ochraceus

Silken Fungus Beetle - Antherophagus ochraceus

Epuraea? - Antherophagus ochraceus - female

Tri-colored Bumble Bee - Antherophagus ochraceus

Beetle eating a bee's face?? - Antherophagus ochraceus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)

Superfamily Cucujoidea

No Taxon (Cucujid series)

Family Cryptophagidae (Silken Fungus Beetles)

Subfamily Cryptophaginae

Tribe Cryptophagini

Genus Antherophagus

Explanation of Names

Antherophagus Dejean 1821

Greek 'flower-eater'

Numbers

at least 4 spp. in our area(1)

Size

at 3.3-5.0 mm, the largest members of the family in our area

Identification

key to ne. spp. in Majka & Langor (2010)(2)

Range

across Canada and n. US south to PA-IN-UT-WA(3)

Habitat

bumblebee nests; adults often on flowers(3); also in beehives

Food

larvae apparently feed on organic detritus in bumblebee nests(4)

Remarks

Adults sometimes cling to the mouthparts/antennae/legs of bumblebees to be carried to the nests(4)

Print References

Parks, R. 2017. An observation of the beetle Antherophagus (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) interacting with Bombus appositus Cresson (Hymenoptera: Apidae). Entomological News, 126(3): 213-215.

Works Cited

1.	Checklist of beetles (Coleoptera) of Canada and Alaska. Second edition Bousquet Y., Bouchard P., Davies A.E., Sikes D.S. 2013. ZooKeys 360: 1–402.

2.	Contributions towards an understanding of the Cryptophaginae (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) of Atlantic Canada Majka C.G., Langor D. 2010. ZooKeys 35: 13-35.

3.	American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.

4.	A review of the North American genera of Cryptophaginae (Coleoptera: Cryptophagidae) Bousquet Y. 1989. Col. Bull. 43: 1–17.

Contributed by Boris Büche on 24 July, 2007 - 4:14am
Additional contributions by Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, Vox Sciurorum, v belov
Last updated 9 March, 2024 - 3:21pm

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