63 

 Erotylidae are burrowers in fungi (some Triplacinae, 



Dacninae) or are surface feeders (some Erotylinae) . The 



surface feeding Erotylinae are often protected by a covering 



of large spines and often have color patterns; whereas 



burrowing species lack these spines and patterns (see 



Roberts 1958; Costa, et al. 1988; and Lawrence 1991, for 



illustrations of various erotylid larvae) . 



Ischyrus q. quadripunctatus has been collected on a 

 white resupinate polypore fungus, Oxyporus latemarginatus 

 (Dur. & Mont. ex. Mont.) Donk, also known as Poria ambigua 

 Bres. (Skelley, et al. 1991). Richard Leschen (pers. comm.) 

 collected I. proximus on Schizopora paradoxa (Fr.) Donk in 

 Costa Rica, also a white resupinate polypore. Both of these 

 fungi are white rot fungi of wood. 



Adults have been taken by general collecting methods; 

 in leaf litter, under bark, sweeping vegetation, etc. Many 

 specimens have been taken at light, suggesting nocturnal 

 activity. This is also indicated by the large eye facets 

 present in members of this genus. Using a beating square at 

 night, I collected several species of Ischyrus and other 

 related genera on small dead limbs both on the ground and 

 hanging from the trees. 



Several species have pits on one of the thoracic 

 sternites, for example; I. undulatus and I. n. sp. 3 on the 

 metasternum behind the mesocoxa, and I. n . sp. 1 on the 

 prosternum. These pits occur on both sexes of the species 

 and show no sexual dimorphism in their development. Their 



