Silken Fungus Beetle vs Common Web Spinner

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Silken Fungus Beetle Common Web Spinner
Scientific Name Cryptophagus lycoperdi Embia major
Order Coleoptera Embioptera
Family Cryptophagidae Embiidae
Size 2-3 mm 10.0-15.0 mm
Habitat Woodlands Woodlands
Diet Fungus Feeders Gall Makers
Regions Europe Europe, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Silken Fungus Beetle

A tiny beetle found inside puffball fungi and in moldy grain stores. Covered in fine silky hairs. Part of a poorly-known beetle family that feeds on fungal spores and molds.

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Did You Know?

So tiny and hidden inside puffball fungi that it is almost never seen despite being common.

Common Web Spinner

A dark brown web spinner that constructs silk galleries on tree bark and under stones. Males are winged while females are always wingless.

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Did You Know?

Web spinners produce silk from glands in their enlarged front feet, the only insects to spin silk with their tarsi.