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Spotted hairy fungus beetle

Mycetophagus quadriguttatus (Müller)

Classification

Secondary pest; fungal feeder
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Mycetophagidae
Acronym: MQU

Description

  • Adults are generally dark brown and have bi-coloured elytra with yellowish to reddish spots.
  • Adults are small (3.3 to 4.0 mm long) and have a pair of deep, oval pits near the base of the pronotum.

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Similar species

Commodities affected

  • Does not feed on commodity, rather it feeds on associated microorganisms
  • May infest cereal grains, wheat, barley, oats, bran, rice, flour, bread, dried fruit, mouldy plant and animal materials

Signs of infestation

  • Mouldy, damp grain is often indicative of the presence of the beetles rather than the other way around

Damage

  • Both adults and larvae feed on fungal spores and hyphae and do not cause direct damage to the commodity
  • Adults are capable of transmitting fungal spores and may promote excessive mould growth in storage

How to control

Geographic range

  • Is found in Europe and North America, and across Canada
  • Is fairly common across the prairie provinces

Where found

  • Is reported from grain elevators, granaries, mills, warehouses, waste feed, sacked grain

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