
Thallis janthina Erichson, 1842 (a species of pleasing fungus-beetle)
Basis for Tasmanian occurrence
Semmens, T.D., McQuillan, P.B. & Hayhurst, G. (1992). Catalogue of the Insects of Tasmania. Government of Tasmania: Department of Primary Industry, 104 pp. (as Thallis janthina)
TMAG collections
Classification
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Superfamily: Cucujoidea
Family: Erotylidae
Subfamily: Erotylinae
Tribe: Dacnini
Morphology
Typical length (mm): 5
Flightedness: winged and assumed capable of flight
Source literature on morphology and taxonomy (*primary taxonomic source, where identified):
*Erichson, W.F. (1842). Beitrag zur Insecten-Fauna von Vandiemensland, mit besonderer Beruecksichtung der geographischen Verbreitung der Insecten. Nicolai’schen Buchhandlung 8(1): 379 pages.
Ecology
Assumed larval feeding: fungus-feeder
Association with dead wood or old trees: at least facultatively saproxylic
Collection method(s) for TMAG material: — Emergence trapping from cut billets of Eucalyptus obliqua (Harrison, 2007) — Hand collection (substrate not specified) — Sticky trapping on Eucalyptus obliqua — Trapping using a range of devices placed in crown of Eucalyptus obliqua (Bar-Ness, 2005).
Source ecological literature:
Bar-Ness, Y. (2005). Crown structure and the canopy arthropod biodiversity of 100 year old and old-growth Tasmanian Eucalyptus obliqua. Msc thesis, Univ. of Tasmania, Hobart.
Harrison, K.S. (2007). Saproxylic beetles associated with habitat features in Eucalyptus obliqua trees in the southern forests of Tasmania. PhD thesis, Dept. of Zoology, Univ. of Tasmania, Hobart.
Webb, G.A. & Simpson, J.A. (1991). Notes on some Australian fungus beetles and their hosts and parasites. Col. Bull. 45: 42-44.
