Family Coccinellidae - Lady Beetles

fungus Green Beetle Hanger - Hesperomyces harmoniae
uses a haustorium to penetrate the host’s integument, making contact with the haemocoel and drawing nutrients from it. The haustoria only cause deformation, no life-threatening damage.

In spite of their parasitic nature, most Laboulbeniales, including the ones forming a haustorium inside the host’s body, seem to have little or no effect on the reproduction and survival of their host. There are some papers with information on particular hosts that demonstrate a shorter life span and/or a decreased number of offspring. This is, however, certainly not the rule in Laboulbeniales."

El Dorado Nature Center 02/23/2014