Tritoma (Tritoma) bipustulata (Fabricius, 1775)
Family: Erotylidae
Body length is 3.4–4 mm. The body is broadly oval, strongly arched, shiny and appears very compact. The basic colour is deep black. A characteristic feature are two large, sharply defined red to orange-red spots in the shoulder area of the elytra. There are tiny porous microsculptures on the head, pronotum and elytra. The antennae end in a distinctive three-segmented club.
Imagoes occur mainly from May to August, with peak activity in late spring and early summer, which correlates with the growth of their host fungi. It occurs mainly in deciduous and mixed forests with plenty of dead wood, in parks, old gardens and avenues. It seeks out sunny and semi-shaded habitats where wood is decomposed by fungi. It is a typical Palaearctic species, widespread throughout Europe, across Russia and into the Far East.
The species belongs to the so-called fungivorous (mycophagous) beetles. Both adults and larvae feed on the bodies of wood-decaying fungi (macromycetes). It is most commonly found on polypores, specifically on species such as Polyporus squamosus, Pleurotus spp., Trametes spp. and Lenzites betulina.
Image source: Makarov, 2010
