Episcapha quadrimacula
[Pleasing Fungus Beetle]
Classification: | Kingdom: Animalia | Phylum: Arthropoda | Class: Insecta | Order: Coleoptera | Family: Erotylidae | Genus: Episcapha |
Large colonies of the beetles can occasionally be seen on the underside of some large bracket mushrooms or dead tree trunks infested with fungi.
The nymphs were found feeding on the Split Gill mushroom (Schizophyllum commune) that grew on the trunk of a dead Rubber Tree (Hevea brasiliensis).
Some nymphs were much darker in colour, which I assumed to be the more mature form of the nymph. However, I cannot be certain as there was a similar-looking fungus beetle that roam that area (see pictures below).