Erotylidae Checklist: Pleasing Fungus Beetles
Pleasing Fungus Beetles from the family Erotylidae Latreille, 1802 are generally brightly coloured and hairless. Their antennae are clubbed, and tarsi (final leg segment) always 5-jointed. Although they are said to feed on fungus, I rarely see them in the vicinity of any fruiting fungi.
Etymology
The scientific family name Erotylidae was based on the type genus Erotylus when it was split from its former family Languriidae, which is now a subfamily of Erotylidae. Erotylus is derived from the greek word erōtylos, which means darling or sweetheart.
Not much is known about the origins of “pleasing” in the family name, but it is assumed so because of the large size and colourful patterns on many of the species.
Checklist
This page consists of a personal checklist of all Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Erotylidae) that I’ve encountered over the years. Most were identified with the help from the kind folks on Flickr and Facebook, especially Boris Büche and David Ball.
All photos are of live subjects shot in the field, with the dorsal view selected where available. Click on individual photos for larger views and views from other angles. As specimens were not collected, identifications were done purely based on photographs and may not be 100% accurate.
This page will be updated regularly, please let me know if you spot any mistakes.
View my complete Flickr photo set: Erotylidae – Pleasing Fungus Beetles.
Region Filters
Click on any region to show only records from that region.
Class: Insecta Linnaeus, 1758
Order: Coleoptera Linnaeus, 1758
Family: Erotylidae Latreille, 1802
Subfamily: Erotylinae Latreille, 1802
Tribe: Dacnini Arrow, 1925
Genus: Endytus Bedel, 1882
East Malaysia: Endytus bizonatus (Crotch, 1876)
Genus: Microsternus Lewis, 1887
Singapore: Microsternus sp. 252324
Singapore: Microsternus sp. P7024041
Genus: Nesitis Bedel, 1882
East Malaysia: Nesitis attenuata (Crotch, 1876)
Genus: Triplatoma Gray, 1832
Indonesia (Kalimantan): Triplatoma cypraea Bedel, 1882
Singapore: Triplatoma cypraea Bedel, 1882
Tribe: Encaustini Crotch, 1876
Genus: Aulacocheilus Chevrolat, 1836
Singapore: Aulacocheilus cruciatus (Csiki, 1911)
Singapore: Aulacocheilus doriae (Bedel, 1871)
West Malaysia: Aulacocheilus doriae (Bedel, 1871)
Singapore: Aulacocheilus tetraphacus
Singapore: Aulacocheilus sp. P9224814
Genus: Encaustes Lacordaire, 1842
Singapore: Encaustes cruenta (MacLeay, 1825)
Singapore: Encaustes cf. cruenta (MacLeay, 1825)
East Malaysia: Encaustes verticalis ssp. malayana (Guerin-Meneville)
East Malaysia: Encaustes verticalis (MacLeay, 1825)
Genus: Micrencaustes Crotch, 1875
Singapore: Micrencaustes liturata (MacLeay, 1825)
Singapore: Micrencaustes liturata (MacLeay, 1825)
Singapore: Micrencaustes lunulata (Macleay, 1825)
Singapore: Micrencaustes torquata Gorham, 1883
East Malaysia: Micrencaustes sp. DSC_9831
Tribe: Erotylini Latreille, 1802
Genus: Cypherotylus Crotch, 1873
Peru: Cypherotylus debauvei Demay, 1838
Genus: Ellipticus Chevrolat, 1837
Peru: Ellipticus dorbignyi (Guérin-Méneville, 1841)
Ecuador: Ellipticus spinifer Thomson, 1857
Genus: Erotylus Fabricius, 1775
Peru: Erotylus subreticulatus (Guérin-Méneville, 1841)
Ecuador: Erotylus sp. P6100002
Not Erotylus incomparabilis, refer here.
Possibly E. parvus, E. imitans or E. peruvianus
Ecuador: Erotylus sp. P6101505
Genus: Iphiclus Chevrolat, 1837
Ecuador: Iphiclus circulus Lacordaire, 1842
Tribe: Megalodacnini Sen Gupta, 1970
Genus: Episcapha Dejean, 1837
Indonesia (Kalimantan): Episcapha amuntaia Heller, 1918
West Malaysia: Episcapha glabra (Wiedemann, 1823)
West Malaysia: Episcapha quadrimacula (Wiedemann, 1823)
Singapore: Episcapha xanthopustulata Gorham, 1890
Singapore: Episcapha sp. PA172706
Singapore: Episcapha sp. PC096322
Genus: Megalodacne Crotch, 1873
Singapore: Megalodacne varia Gorham, 1889
Singapore: cf. Megalodacne sp. P9224652
Tribe: Tritomini Curtis 1834
Singapore: Tritomini P7059667
Singapore: Tritomini P1045576
Singapore: Tritomini 1177
West Malaysia: Tritomini 3671
Singapore: Tritomini PC166402
Indonesia (Kalimantan): Tritomini PA190902
Indonesia (Sumatra): Tritomini PB033542
Indonesia (Kalimantan): Tritomini
Thailand: Tritomini P5262363
Genus: Amblyopus Chevrolat, 1836
Singapore: Amblyopus rusticus Lacordaire, 1842
Singapore: Amblyopus vittatus (A. G. Olivier, 1807)
Singapore: Amblyopus vittatus (A. G. Olivier, 1807)
Genus: Cyrtomorphus Lacordaire, 1842
Thailand: Cyrtomorphus pardalinus (Gorham, 1896)
Subfamily: Languriinae Hope, 1840
Tribe: Languriini Hope, 1840
Indonesia (Kalimantan): Languriini PA167781
West Malaysia: Languriini P3175445
East Malaysia: Languriini P7084816
Singapore: Languriini DSC_7396
Peru: Languriini DSC_1168
Genus: Caenolanguria Gorham, 1887
Singapore: Caenolanguria sp. P9168169
Genus: Serralanguria Huang & Yang & Ge 2025
Singapore: Serralanguria ochreipennis (Fowler, 1890)
Genus: Tetraphala Sturm, 1843
East Malaysia: Tetraphala sp. P3137889
Singapore: Tetraphala sp. PB141663
Behavior
Singapore: Mating Aulacocheilus doriae
