Fungivorous larva

[cervinae]

Perhaps this question might be better suited to the Insect Forum but I'm hoping someone here may have the answer. Using the search button turned up no posts on the site from what I could tell.

What exactly do those maggots eating their way through a fungus pupate into? According to "the all-knowing" wikipedia it's the larvae of bibionomorpha (an infraorder of flies) which covers who-knows how many species. At this time of year what fly (or flies) is the most likely culprit?

Regards, David

[poschiavanus]

There are several pages in the Dipterist's Handbook listing fly larvae associated with particular fungi, to quote:

Fungus associations are known for about 375 species in thirty-five families of British Diptera although potentially more than 600 may be fungicolous; at least twenty families include some obligate fungicoles. A systematic list of the Diptera involved is provided in an appendix. Many flies require living or at least comparatively fresh fungi; this applies to most Tipulidae, Mycetophilidae, Phoridae, Platypezidae, Heleomyzidae, Anthomyiidae and some Drosophilidae...

In addition there are many beetle larvae and adults found in fungi: just been trying to identify some adults I've found in a puff-ball.

They're not too difficult to rear, but often require specialist literature and techniques to identify as adults. Some only have one generation a year, and keeping the pupa alive can be tricky (they either dry out, go mouldy or peg out for other reasons).

So about 1 fly in 10 is a fungus-feeder! And then there might be other flies parasitising them, not to mention the parasitic wasps.

[jonbem]

One thing I would say to be wary of... A recent find of mine that I left for a spore print only had one "hole" indicating any infestation. I didn't see any larva. But I now guess this was the entry point of perhaps just a single critter, as a couple of days later it was crawling with larvae. So I suppose there were numerous tiny eggs in that hole.

Just a thought

Jon

[cervinae]

Thankyou for the response

I noticed the wikipedia mentioned a few families of flies that fed on fungi but for some reason my mind read that as a reference to the adults and not the maggots. So I might have misunderstood that. Does thst mean in some species both adults and larvae eat fungi then whereas in the bibionomorpha only the larva are fungivores?

I've now also got the bizarre vision of a police line up with hundreds of flies standing there. "Could you point out the villain who laid eggs on your fungus sir?"

Regards, David

[cervinae]

It always amazes me when there doesn't appear to be any entry point and yet they're in there. But I'm now tempted to try and get them to pupate to get solid I.Ds on them. Especially the blighters who seem intent on chewing any B. Badius that get a reasonable size

Regards, David