Beetle, Fungus Beetle

Identification:
Easily recognized by the broad orange band crossing the elytra at the mid-point, the black head, orange pronotum, with front and rear of elytra being black, and an orange band in the middle.

Range:
Eastern USA - New York, Vermont, New Hampshire to Florida, west to Texas, north to Missouri, Illinois, Michigan

Habitat:
Woodland areas on certain types of fungi (polypore bracket fungi) in the Genus: Inonotus .. and is sometimes found in the surrounding leaf litter.

Food:
The larvae and adults feed on polypore bracket fungi in the genus Inonotus.

Season:
April to October in Illinois; year-round in the southern states.

Also, note .. that no other eastern species of Tri... read moreplax has an orange band across the eltyra. Others, have a reddish-orange pronotum and entirely black elytra.