Subject: Ambrosia Beetle, Monarthrum sp.

Location: Upshur County, West Virginia

Stock Number: 06-38273

Comments: This tiny beetle has a pronotum just about as long as the elytra, and the pronotum hides the head when viewed from above as in this photo.

The name Ambrosia Beetle refers to the genus' interesting life history. The male and female cooperate to excavate pits under the bark of trees. They pack the pits with tiny bits of wood, and they grow a fungus on the rotting wood bits, as a food source for their larva.

The beetle pictured here showed up at a UV light .