Mycetophilic beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) associated with xylotrophic fungi in residential areas of Saratov city

Abstract

The purpose of this work was to establish the composition of the community of beetles associated with xylotrophic fungi on the territory of the Saratov city landscapes which differs from the natural forest regional ecosystems. Collections of coleoptera (imagos and larvae) were carried out in the spring-summer period 2017–2020 from fruiting bodies of various xylotrophic basidiomycetes from deciduous tree species of the city areas in the Volzhsky, Kirovsky, Frunzensky, Oktyabrsky and Zavodsky districts of the town. When collecting the material, various methods were used: manual collection, flotation method and mounted traps. Beetles were found on 129 fruiting bodies of 7 species of xylotrophic fungi. 986 beetles’ specimens of 29 species from 8 families were collected on fruiting bodies of various xylotrophic fungi. The mycetophilic beetles’ community is based on Staphylinidae (41.3%), Tenebrionidae (17.2%), Erotylidae (10.3%), Mycetophagidae (6,8%) and Ciidae (10.3%). The most typical for xylotrophic fungi were eight beetles’ species: Anotylus nitidulus (Gravenhorst, 1802), Gyrophaena joyi Wendeler, 1924 (Staphylinidae), Diaperis bolete (Linnaeus, 1758), Eledona agricola (Herbst, 1783) (Tenebrionidae), Cis comptus Gyllenhal, 1827 (Ciidae), Mycetophagus quadripustulatus (Linnaeus, 1760) (Mycetophagidae), Dacne bipustulata (Thunberg, 1781) and D. pontica (Bedel, 1868) (Erotylidae). It has been established that three main trophic groups of Coleoptera are associated with xylotrophic fungi, among which more than 76% were specialized mycetobionts – obligate mycetophagans, for which fungi are the only or predominant food source. Over 21% accounted for the share of mixophagans and only 3% of the species complex falls on the third group – predators (zoophagous).