Endomychidae

A small family, with eight British species, oval to elongate-oval in shape and between 2 and 6mm long.  Five of the species found in Britain are small and brown but the three larger species are more brightly coloured. These three include the false ladybird, Endomychus coccineus (L.), which resembles a ladybird (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) in shape and colouration.  Mycetaea subterranea (Fabricius) can be a minor pest in grain stores but the family are mostly found in association with fungi, including within puffball (Lycoperdon spp.) and earthstar (Geoastrum spp.) fungi (Lycoperdina spp.), beneath fungoid bark and in leaf litter.