Tetratoma desmarestii
Local name: brun lövsvampbagge
The brun lövsvampbagge (Tetratoma desmarestii) is a small, brown fungus beetle belonging to the family Tetratomidae. These beetles are specialized decomposers that feed on bracket fungi and other wood-inhabiting fungi, playing a crucial role in forest nutrient cycling by breaking down fungal matter.
Photo: iNaturalist: (c) Kevin Gielen, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Kevin Gielen
Taxonomy & Classification
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Arthropoda
Class
Insecta
Order
Coleoptera
Family
Tetratomidae
Genus
Tetratoma
Tetratoma desmarestii belongs to the family Tetratomidae, order Coleoptera, within the Insecta class.
Species Profile
The brun lövsvampbagge (Tetratoma desmarestii) is a small, brown fungus beetle belonging to the family Tetratomidae. These beetles are specialized decomposers that feed on bracket fungi and other wood-inhabiting fungi, playing a crucial role in forest nutrient cycling by breaking down fungal matter.
Tetratoma desmarestii is critically endangered primarily due to the loss and degradation of old-growth deciduous forests, particularly those containing its host fungi on dead and decaying hardwood trees. The species requires very specific microhabitat conditions found only in mature forest ecosystems with sufficient dead wood and fungal diversity, which have become increasingly rare due to intensive forestry practices and habitat fragmentation.
Key Facts
Habitat & Distribution
The species inhabits mature deciduous and mixed forests where it lives in association with bracket fungi growing on dead or dying hardwood trees, particularly beech, oak, and birch. It requires forests with substantial amounts of coarse woody debris and a continuous supply of fungal host species.
Threats
IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
Tetratoma desmarestii is critically endangered primarily due to the loss and degradation of old-growth deciduous forests, particularly those containing its host fungi on dead and decaying hardwood trees. The species requires very specific microhabitat conditions found only in mature forest ecosystems with sufficient dead wood and fungal diversity, which have become increasingly rare due to intensive forestry practices and habitat fragmentation.
Habitat fragmentation
Intensive forestry and dead wood removal
Old-growth forest loss
Climate change affecting forest composition
Loss of host fungi diversity
Community Sightings
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Sources & Attribution
How to Cite
IUCN: IUCN (2025). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2025-1. Available at: https://www.iucnredlist.org. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2025-1.RLTS
GBIF: GBIF.org (2025). GBIF Home Page. Available at: https://www.gbif.org
This page: SpeciesRadar (2025). Tetratoma desmarestii (Tetratoma desmarestii). SpeciesRadar: Intelligence for Earth's Biodiversity. Available at: https://speciesradar.org/species/brun-lovsvampbagge