Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)

Erotylidae, or pleasing fungus beetles, are a morphologically diverse lineage of Coleoptera notable for the variety of colors and patterns present on their dorsal surface. This study begins the characterization of this diversity and discusses patterns around coloration within Erotylinae. Using spect...

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Main Authors: Rachel J. Sutherland, Eva J. Driggs, Laura N. Sutherland, Paul E. Skelley, Seth M. Bybee, Gareth S. Powell
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Diversity
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/394
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author Rachel J. Sutherland
Eva J. Driggs
Laura N. Sutherland
Paul E. Skelley
Seth M. Bybee
Gareth S. Powell
author_facet Rachel J. Sutherland
Eva J. Driggs
Laura N. Sutherland
Paul E. Skelley
Seth M. Bybee
Gareth S. Powell
author_sort Rachel J. Sutherland
collection DOAJ
description Erotylidae, or pleasing fungus beetles, are a morphologically diverse lineage of Coleoptera notable for the variety of colors and patterns present on their dorsal surface. This study begins the characterization of this diversity and discusses patterns around coloration within Erotylinae. Using spectrophotometer data, we investigated the frequency of certain color motifs across erotyline tribes and discuss geographic patterns in these color motifs. The most frequently observed colors within Erotylinae are brown/black with orange/red maculations in the case of bicolored taxa. In terms of type of maculations, stripes were the most common pattern observed. When summarizing the diversity across major geographic areas, the Neotropical and Indomalay regions displayed the most color variation, followed by the Australasian region.
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spelling doaj-art-e09a07beb18d4978a8b85d25c2cecd942025-06-25T13:43:09ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182025-06-0117639410.3390/d17060394Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)Rachel J. Sutherland0Eva J. Driggs1Laura N. Sutherland2Paul E. Skelley3Seth M. Bybee4Gareth S. Powell5Department of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USADepartment of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USADepartment of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USAFlorida State Collection of Arthropods, Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville, FL 32608, USADepartment of Biology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT 84602, USADepartment of Entomology and Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27607, USAErotylidae, or pleasing fungus beetles, are a morphologically diverse lineage of Coleoptera notable for the variety of colors and patterns present on their dorsal surface. This study begins the characterization of this diversity and discusses patterns around coloration within Erotylinae. Using spectrophotometer data, we investigated the frequency of certain color motifs across erotyline tribes and discuss geographic patterns in these color motifs. The most frequently observed colors within Erotylinae are brown/black with orange/red maculations in the case of bicolored taxa. In terms of type of maculations, stripes were the most common pattern observed. When summarizing the diversity across major geographic areas, the Neotropical and Indomalay regions displayed the most color variation, followed by the Australasian region.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/394spectrophotometerCucujoideaErotyloideaevolution
spellingShingle Rachel J. Sutherland
Eva J. Driggs
Laura N. Sutherland
Paul E. Skelley
Seth M. Bybee
Gareth S. Powell
Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
Diversity
spectrophotometer
Cucujoidea
Erotyloidea
evolution
title Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
title_full Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
title_fullStr Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
title_full_unstemmed Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
title_short Diversity of Color in Pleasing Fungus Beetles (Coleoptera: Erotylidae: Erotylinae)
title_sort diversity of color in pleasing fungus beetles coleoptera erotylidae erotylinae
topic spectrophotometer
Cucujoidea
Erotyloidea
evolution
url https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/17/6/394
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