Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

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Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27


Family Cryptophagidae - Silken Fungus Beetles

Representative Images

Atomaria - Atomaria impressa Silken Fungus Beetle - Atomaria fuscata Atomaria lewisi Reitter - Atomaria lewisi Cryptophagid? - Caenoscelis basalis hairy Leiodidae? - Cryptophagus tiny beetle - Atomaria Beetle eating a bee's face?? - Antherophagus Cryptophagus? - Cryptophagus

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)

Explanation of Names

Cryptophagidae Kirby 1826

Numbers

2 subfamilies, with ~150 spp. in 18 genera in our area and ~600 spp. in 62 genera worldwide(1)(2)(3)
Overview of our faunaTaxa not yet in the guide are marked (*)
Family Cryptophagidae
Subfamily CRYPTOPHAGINAE
Subfamily ATOMARIINAE

Identification

keys to spp. for Canada & nUS in (4)

Range

worldwide and throughout NA(1)

Habitat

decaying habitats with fungal growth, incl. rotting wood, leaf litter, stored products, nests of mammals and social insects, etc.; Antherophagus frequent flowers(1)

See Also

Works Cited

1.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.
2.A new genus of Caenoscelini (Cryptophagidae: Cryptophaginae) from California, with two new species
Caterino M.S., Leschen R.A.B., Johnson C. 2008. Col. Bull. 62: 509-523.
3.New genera and new species of Cryptophagidae (Coleoptera) from USA and Mexico
Jens Esser. 2018. Linzer biologische Beiträge, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 1079-1083.
4.The Cryptophagidae of Canada and the northern United States of America
Pelletier G., Hébert C. 2019. Canadian Journal of Arthropod Identification 40.