pleasing fungus beetle

 

Probably from the pleasing appearance of the beetles, which have large and colourful patterns.^[1]

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈpliːzɪŋ ˈfʌŋɡəs ˈbiːtəl/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈplizɪŋ ˈfʌŋɡəs ˈbitl̩/, /ˈplizɪŋ ˈfʌŋɡəs ˈbiɾl̩/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

• Hyphenation: pleas‧ing fun‧gus bee‧tle

pleasing fungus beetle (plural pleasing fungus beetles)

1. Any of the fungus beetles of the family Erotylidae.
   • 1914, Inez Naomi King, “The Coleoptera of Henry County, Iowa”, in The Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science, volume XXI, Des Moines, Iowa: Published by the state; Robert Henderson, state printer, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 327:

     Erotylidae. (The Pleasing Fungus Beetle.)

   • 2006, James T. Costa, “Coleoptera: Beetle Societies III: Leaf, Fungus, Carrion, Darkling, and Whirlgig Beetles and Their Allies”, in The Other Insect Societies, Cambridge, Mass., London: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, →ISBN, page 499:

     The pleasing fungus beetles are pleasing indeed: many are brightly patterned with contrasting black with red, yellow, orange, pink or purple in spots, stripes, rings, and even zigzags.

   • 2014 August, Tradd Cotter, “Natural Pest Control and Disease Management”, in Organic Mushroom Farming and Mycoremediation: Simple to Advanced and Experimental Techniques for Indoor and Outdoor Cultivation, White River Junction, N.J.: Chelsea Green Publishing, →ISBN, part I (The Fundamentals of Mushroom Cultivation), page 86:

     Small, shallow pans of apple cider vinegar or milk mixed with a little dish soap attract and drown many adult flying insects (but not pleasing fungus beetle or Sciarids).

• erotylid

• fungus beetle (“one of several families of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea”)

• handsome fungus beetle (“a beetle of the family Endomychidae”)

•   Erotylidae on Wikipedia.Wikipedia