Litargus balteatus

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Family: Mycetophagidae

Subfamily: Mycetophaginae

Length: 2.0-2.5 mm

 

Members of the Hairy Fungus Beetles family are small, brown to black, with or without lighter markings, and feature the setae referred to in the common name.

Look for these beetles under the bark of dead trees where fungi are growing, or inside shelf fungi.

The range of Litargus bealteatus is cosmopolitan; Downey and Arnett (1996) state that it is found "in grain elevators and on moldy grain."

 

 

Little is known about the life history of Litargus balteatus, shown above and at left. It has a wide distribution in Canada and the U.S., including West Virginia. The one shown here was found inside a shelf fungus.

Another West Virginia species of Litargus is L. tetraspilotus.

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