Pleasing Fungus Beetle vs Great Mullein Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Pleasing Fungus Beetle Great Mullein Weevil
Scientific Name Gibbifer californicus Cionus thapsus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Erotylidae Curculionidae
Size 10-20 mm 3-4.5 mm
Habitat Forests Grasslands
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions North America Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Pleasing Fungus Beetle

A brightly colored beetle that feeds exclusively on bracket fungi on dead trees. Its warning colors signal chemical defenses to predators.

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Did You Know?

Large aggregations of dozens of adults sometimes gather on a single large shelf fungus to feed and mate communally.

Great Mullein Weevil

A small rounded weevil found exclusively on great mullein plants. Similar to the figwort weevil but associated with different host plants. Larvae are external feeders in mucous cocoons.

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Did You Know?

Each larva lives inside its own slimy mucous cocoon attached to the mullein leaf surface.