The first vespiform tineid moth (Lepidoptera: Tineidae)

Abstract Vespitinea gurkharum gen. et sp.n. is described from specimens reared from a bracket-fungus ( Ganoderma - Polyporaceae) from lowland rain-forest in Brunei. This striking wasp-like moth is suggested to be a Batesian mimic of species of Vespidae and Pompilidae (Hymenoptera) and the first example of this mimicry type recorded from the Tineoidea. Abdominal, eye and wing-coupling modifications suggest that it is diurnal and a behavioural mimic. The systematic position of Vespitinea is discussed with reference to biology and adult and larval morphology.     

Factors affecting the structure of Coleoptera assemblages on bracket fungi (Basidiomycota) in a Brazilian forest

Insect–fungal interactions are an important but understudied aspect of tropical forest ecology. Here we present the first large‐scale study of insect communities feeding on the reproductive structures of macrofungi (basidiomes) in the Neotropics. This trophic interaction is not well characterized in most ecosystems; however, beetle consumption of basidiomes is thought to be affected by fungal factors, via mechanisms analogous to those observed in plant–herbivore interactions and in some interactions with fungi as hosts in the Holarctic region. We investigated how the composition of beetle assemblages varies as a function of fungal taxonomic distance, basidiome consistency, and hyphal systems. We collected 367 basidiomes belonging to the orders Polyporales and Hymenochaetales in the subtropical Araucaria angustifolia forest region of southern Brazil, along with any fauna present or without it. Basidiomes were maintained individually in the laboratory in plastic containers for up to three months to allow beetles to develop to adulthood, at which point the beetles were collected. We found that 207 basidiome specimens representing 40 species were associated with beetles. We recorded 447 occurrences of Coleoptera, representing 90 morphospecies from 20 families. We found that assemblages of fungivorous Coleoptera were more similar among more closely related fungi. Furthermore, the beetle assemblages varied as a function of basidiome toughness, which is influenced by sporocarp consistency and hyphal system type. The associations between beetles and basidiomes resemble those reported previously in temperate zones, suggesting continuity in the structure of such associations across a wide latitudinal range.     

Superb Lyrebird Menura novaehollandiae mycophagy,truffles and soil disturbance

We observed foraging behaviour and collected 18 faecal samples of Superb Lyrebirds Menura novaehollandiae at two National Park locations in high‐elevation Nothofagus forests in the New England Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia. Based on microscopic examination of faecal samples, we provide the first report of mycophagy by this bird species. We hypothesize that this association is representative of a much more widespread relation between ground‐foraging birds and fungi. We apply methods not typically used by ornithologists to demonstrate the potential prevalence of mycophagy among ground‐foraging birds and its possible nutritional value. We additionally show the ecological significance that this and associated bird–fungus interactions have in the dispersal of symbiotic fungi.     

Behavioral ecology and natural history of Blepharidatta brasiliensis (Formicidae, Blepharidattini)

Fungus-growing ants (Attini, Formicidae) originated about 45–65 million years ago when forging a mutualistic association with basidiomycete fungi (Lepiotaceae). Here we use information on the biology of the non-leafcutting fungus-growing ants and their close relatives in the genus Blepharidatta to evaluate hypotheses for the evolutionary origin of fungus-growing behavior in attine ants. Observations on the natural history, ecology, and behavior of the Amazonian species Blepharidatta brasiliensis are reported here for the first time. Like most attine species, B. brasiliensis and the great majority of species in the tribe Blepharidattini are inhabitants of moist tropical rainforest, suggesting a rainforest habitat also for the ancestral attine ant. The ancestral attine was probably a leaf litter dweller, building small to medium sized nests (e.g., 20–200 workers) either between leaves in the litter or in decaying wood on the rainforest floor. Received 20 December 2005; revised 1 March 2006; accepted 7 March 2006.     

Molecular and microscopic analysis of the gut contents of abundant rove beetle species (Coleoptera,?Staphylinidae) in the boreal balsam fir forest of Quebec,?Canada

Experimental research on beetle responses to removal of logging residues following clearcut harvesting in the boreal balsam fir forest of Quebec revealed several abundant rove beetle (Staphylinidae) species potentially important for long-term monitoring. To understand the trophic affiliations of these species in forest ecosystems, it was necessary to analyze their gut contents. We used microscopic and molecular (DNA) methods to identify the gut contents of the following rove beetles: Atheta capsularis Klimaszewski, Atheta klagesi Bernhauer, Oxypoda grandipennis (Casey), Bryophacis smetanai Campbell, Ischnosoma longicorne (Mäklin), Mycetoporus montanus Luze, Tachinus frigidus Erichson, Tachinus fumipennis (Say), Tachinus quebecensis Robert, and Pseudopsis subulata Herman. We found no apparent arthropod fragments within the guts; however, a number of fungi were identified by DNA sequences, including filamentous fungi and budding yeasts [Ascomycota: Candida derodonti Suh & Blackwell (accession number FJ623605), Candida mesenterica (Geiger) Diddens & Lodder (accession number FM178362), Candida railenensis Ramirez and Gonzáles (accession number JX455763), Candida sophie-reginae Ramirez & González (accession number HQ652073), Candida sp. (accession number AY498864), Pichia delftensis Beech (accession number AY923246), Pichia membranifaciens Hansen (accession number JQ26345), Pichia misumaiensis Y. Sasaki and Tak. Yoshida ex Kurtzman 2000 (accession number U73581), Pichia sp. (accession number AM261630), Cladosporium sp. (accession number KF367501), Acremoniumpsammosporum W. Gams (accession number GU566287), Alternaria sp. (accession number GU584946), Aspergillus versicolor Bubak (accession number AJ937750), and Aspergillusamstelodami (L. Mangin) Thom and Church (accession number HQ728257)]. In addition, two species of bacteria [Bradyrhizobium japonicum (Kirchner) Jordan (accession number BA000040) and Serratia marcescens Bizio accession number CP003942] were found in the guts. These results not only provide evidence of the consumer-resource relations of these beetles but also clarify the relationship between rove beetles, woody debris and fungi. Predominance of yeast-feeding by abundant rove beetles suggests that it may play an important role in their dietary requirements.     

Effects of fungivory by two specialist ciid beetles (Octotemnus glabriculus and Cis boleti) on the reproductive fitness of their host fungus, Coriolus versicolor

On the basis of the evidence that insect fungivory has the potential to affect fungal reproductive fitness, we investigated the effects of two specialist ciid beetles ( Octotemnus glabriculus and Cis boleti ) on the reproductive potential of their host fungus, Coriolus versicolor . We found, from field data, a negative correlation between the number of individuals of O. glabriculus inhabiting C. versicolor fruit bodies and the percentage of the fungal spore-producing surface (hymenium) that was functional. By contrast, the number of C. boleti inhabiting C. versicolor fruit bodies did not correlate with the percentage of functional hymenium. Experimentally, O. glabriculus and C. boleti reduced the reproductive potential of C. versicolor by 58% and 30%, respectively, whereas the combined trophic activity of both beetles caused a reduction of 64%. This latter effect was not significantly different from that caused by O. glabriculus alone. These findings disagree with previous assertions that insect fungivory on fruit bodies has only neutral effects on fungal fitness. We conclude that in the short-term, fungivory by ciids significantly decreases the area of functional hymenium of C. versicolor and is likely to reduce fungal reproductive fitness. Within this perspective the evolution of certain fungal characteristics (i.e. chemical composition, consistency and phenology) can be interpreted as being driven by fungivory.     

Comparative morphology and evolutionary pathways of the mouthparts in spore-feeding Staphylinoidea (Coleoptera)

This study surveys the external morphology of the mouthparts in the guild of spore‐feeders among the coleopterous superfamily Staphylinoidea, evaluating the influence of different phylogenetic and ecological starting points on the formation of their mouthparts. Our emphasis is on a scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM) of the involved trophic structures in spore‐feeding larvae and adults of the Ptiliidae, Leiodidae and Staphylinidae, describing the fine structure of their main functional elements. Functionally, mouthpart structures resemble brushes, brooms, combs, rakes, rasps, excavators, knives, thorns, cram‐brushes, bristle troughs, blocks and differently structured grinding surfaces. Their different involvement in the various aspects of the feeding process (i.e. food gathering, transporting, channelling and grinding) is deduced from our SEM analyses plus direct video observations. We infer five different patterns of food transport and processing, discriminating adults of ptiliids, leiodids plus staphylinids (excluding some aleocharines), several aleocharine staphylinids, and the larvae of leiodids and staphylinids. The structural diversity of the mouthparts increases in the order from (1) Ptiliidae, (2) Leiodidae towards (3) Staphylinidae, reflecting the increasing systematic and ecological diversity of these groups. Comparisons with non‐spore‐feeders show that among major lineages of staphylinoids, shifts from general microphagy to sporophagy are not necessarily constrained by, nor strongly reflected in, mouthpart morphology. Nevertheless, in several of these lineages the organs of food intake and grinding have experienced particular fine‐structural modifications, which have undergone convergent evolution, probably in response to specialized mycophagy such as spore‐feeding. These modifications involve advanced galeal rakes, galeal or lacinial ‘spore brushes’ with arrays of stout bristles, reinforced obliquely ventrad orientated prosthecal lobes and the differentiations of the molar grinding surfaces into stout teeth or tubercles. In addition, several staphylinids of the tachyporine and oxyteline groups with reduced mandibular molae have evolved secondary trituration surfaces, which in some aleocharines are paralleled by considerable re‐constructions of the labium–hypopharynx.     

Host selection patterns in insects breeding in bracket fungi

Abstract.  1. Fungivorous insects are generally viewed as polyphagous, largely because most fungal fruiting bodies constitute an unpredictable resource. To examine the validity of this hypothesis, and degree of phylogenetic relatedness between the preferred hosts of the insects, host selection in the insect fauna of bracket fungi was studied, using data obtained both from the field and the literature.
2. More than half (53%) of the insect species breeding in them appeared to be monophagous.
3. Modern phylogenies explained the host selection patterns better than older classifications, since non-monophagous species of beetles frequently used hosts that are closely related to each other.
4. The hypothesis that polyphagous species use more heavily decayed fruiting bodies than monophagous species was verified for insects breeding in Fomes fomentarius . The results indicate that the chemical composition of the fungi influences host selection.
5. It is suggested that fruiting bodies of bracket fungi differ from most other fungi in that their occurrence is more predictable. Therefore, the primary colonising fungivores generally attack only one host species, or a few hosts that are closely phylogenetically related. Polyphagous species generally colonise fruiting bodies after they have reached a certain stage of decay, thus escaping their chemical defence.     

Orientation of specialist and generalist fungivorous ciid beetles to host and non-host odours

Most ciids (Ciidae) are strict fungivores specialized on fruit bodies of wood‐rotting fungi. The Ciidae includes both specialist and generalist species. Recent evidence suggests that ciids locate and discriminate their potential hosts based mainly on fungal odours. In this study, we investigated the field distribution of ciids in a local woodland near Bath, U.K. We also evaluated experimentally the behavioural responses of ciids to host and non‐host fungi in an olfactometer, and explored potential differences in putative aroma compounds in host fungi. Our field data showed that Octotemnus glabriculus, Cis boleti and Cis nitidus have preference for one host species, whereas C. bilamellatus has no preference. The experimental evidence was in accordance with the field observations. The specialists O. glabriculus, C. boleti and C. nitidus were specifically attracted to odour compounds of their preferred host fungi: Coriolus versicolor for the first two beetles and Ganoderma adspersum for the latter one. By contrast, the generalist C. bilamellatus was attracted to odours from C. versicolor, G. adspersum and Piptoporus betulinus. The evidence from this and other published studies suggest that ciids depend mainly on fruit body odours for location and discrimination of their host fungi. In accordance with this, we observed diffierential behavioural responses of ciids to aroma compounds of host and non‐host species.