Evidence of mycophagy in Ptilodactylidae (Coleoptera: Dryopoidea) with notes on phylogenetic implications

There is increasing awareness of insect-fungal interactions due to potential economic importance and obvious relationships to nutritional ecology of these organisms. Initial documentation of ptilodactylid-fungal association is presented. Peculiarities in the nature of the utilized fungi are discussed. Correlation of lacinial spore brush modification with these associations is noted, leading to the hypothesis that nutritional specialization and terrestrial larval habitat are derived. These ecological conditions have apparently arisen twice within the Ptilodactylidae.