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Photo#574591
beetle eating fungus - Bembidion rapidum

beetle eating fungus - Bembidion rapidum
Fort Washington, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA
September 10, 2011
3 mm or so

Images of this individual: tag all
beetle eating fungus - Bembidion rapidum beetle eating fungus - Bembidion rapidum beetle eating fungus - Bembidion rapidum

Moved
Moved from ID Request.

Bembidion sp.
Not a fungus eater.

 
B. (Notaphus) rapidum?

 
yes
most likely :)

 
thank you Brad
fungus might not be his regular diet; but he was photographed on fungus and he appeared to be eating it.

 
yes, B. rapidum
Yes, this is B. rapidum. And, I agree with Peter's comments. It is most likely the beetle was either getting water from the fungus or eating a larva or other arthropod on the fungus. If you see this behavior again, you might collect the beetle straight into 95% ethanol, and its gut contents could be examined / sequenced.

 
Recommend continued observation at same microhabitat
to confirm that Bembidion rapidum is really interested in ingesting fungus food or just after the mositure (dew) or just after very tiny arthropods (dead or alive) on the surface. Larochele & Lariviere (2003) cite only insect larvae/pupae as the food source for this species. Documentation of fungus eating would be a worthwhile scientific endeavor.

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