Zopherinae

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Cladus: Protostomia
Cladus: Ecdysozoa
Cladus: Panarthropoda
Phylum: Arthropoda
Subphylum: Hexapoda
Classis: Insecta
Cladus: Dicondylia
Subclassis: Pterygota
Cladus: Metapterygota
Infraclassis: Neoptera
Cladus: Eumetabola
Cladus: Endopterygota
Superordo: Coleopterida
Ordo: Coleoptera
Subordo: Polyphaga
Infraordo: Cucujiformia
Superfamilia: Tenebrionoidea

Familia: Zopheridae
Subfamilia: Zopherinae
Tribus (6): Latometini - Monommatini - Phellopsini - Pycnomerini - Usechini - Zopherini
Name

Zopherinae Solier, 1834
References

Ślipiński, S.A.; Lawrence, J.F. 1999: Phylogeny and classification of Zopheridae sensu novo (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea) with a review of the genera of Zopheridae (excluding Monommatini). Annales zoologici 49(1/2): 1–53. Abstract Reference page.

Links

Atlas of Ironclad beetles (Zopheridae) of Russia (project of E.Ya. Berlov and O.E. Berlov)

Vernacular names
English: Ironclad beetles/Zopherids
русский: Узкотелки

Zopherinae is a subfamily of beetles, commonly known as ironclad beetles. Together with the subfamily Usechinae, they have been treated historically as a family, but have recently been joined by several additional taxa, making the Zopheridae a much larger composite family, and the Zopherinae are now only a small component within it, consisting of seven genera in the tribe Zopherini and one, Phellopsis in its own tribe (Phellopsini).

These beetles are apparently fungivores and associated with rotting wood, and as the common name implies, have one of the hardest of all arthropod exoskeletons; in some species, it is almost impossible to drive an insect pin through their bodies without using a small drill to make a hole first.

When disturbed, ironclad beetles play dead.

Some species in the genus Zopherus in Mexico are decorated with costume jewelry glued to their bodies, and sold as living brooches, known as ma'kech.[2]
Selected species

Genus Phellopsis LeConte, 1862

Phellopsis montana Casey, 1907
Phellopsis obcordata (Kirby, 1837)
Phellopsis porcata
Phellopsis robustula Casey, 1907

Genus Nosoderma Solier, 1841

Nosoderma aequale
Nosoderma diabolicum (LeConte, 1851)
Nosoderma exsculptum
Nosoderma guatemalense
Nosoderma inaequale
Nosoderma plicatum (LeConte, 1859)
Nosoderma sylvaticum
Nosoderma zunilense

Genus Zopherus Laporte, 1840

Zopherus championi Triplehorn, 1972
Zopherus chilensis
Zopherus concolor LeConte, 1851
Zopherus elegans Horn, 1870
Zopherus gracilis Horn, 1867
Zopherus granicollis Horn, 1885
Zopherus jansoni
Zopherus jourdani
Zopherus laevicollis
Zopherus nervosus
Zopherus nodulosus Solier, 1841
Zopherus opacus Horn, 1867
Zopherus sanctaehelenae (Blaisdell, 1931)
Zopherus tristis LeConte, 1851
Zopherus uteanus (Casey, 1907)
Zopherus xestus Triplehorn, 1972

References

Bouchard, Patrice; Bousquet, Yves; Davies, Anthony E.; Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A.; et al. (2011). "Family-group names in Coleoptera (Insecta)". ZooKeys. Pensoft Publishers (88): 1–972. doi:10.3897/zookeys.88.807. ISSN 1313-2989. PMC 3088472. PMID 21594053.
"CBP Officers Intercept Live Beetle Worn as Jewelry at Brownsville Port of Entry" (Press release). US Customs and Border Patrol. 20 January 2010. Retrieved 9 May 2016.