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| Ironclad beetle | |
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| Female mounted specimen of Z. nodulosus nodulosus | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Insecta |
| Order: | Coleoptera |
| Infraorder: | Cucujiformia |
| Family: | Zopheridae |
| Genus: | Zopherus |
| Species: | Z. nodulosus
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| Binomial name | |
| Zopherus nodulosus Solier, 1841
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| Subspecies | |
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| Synonyms | |
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Ironclad beetles (Zopherus nodulosus) are slow-moving large black and white beetles from the state of Texas, United States.[1] Like all beetles belonging to the genus Zopherus, ironclad beetles have an extremely thick armored exoskeleton, earning them their common name.
Description edit
Ironclad beetles are quite large, ranging from 20 to 25 mm (0.79 to 0.98 in) in length.
The heads are black with a white spot at the top posterior region. The thorax is round and convex, as is the longer elytra. Both are predominantly white and adorned with elevated smooth black spots running longitudinally through the center. The bottom surface and the legs of the beetle are black with the exception of the second and third abdominal segments which are white.[2] Like all Zopherus beetles, the elytra of ironclad beetles are fused together, rendering them incapable of flight.[3]
All species of Zopherus found north of the Rio Grande are uniformly black. The ironclad beetle is the only exception.[2]
Because of their black and white coloration, ironclad beetles closely resemble species other species of Zopherus found in Mexico but can be distinguished by their less convex form. The black spots on the dorsal surface of ironclad beetles are also fewer in number and less pronounced than Mexican species.[2]
Taxonomy and nomenclature edit
The name Zopherus is from Greek zopher, meaning "dusky" or "gloomy".[4] The specific epithet nodulosus is Latin for "little knot".[4]
Subspecies edit
Two subspecies of ironclad beetles are known.[5] They are the following:
- Z. nodulosus haldemani
Horn, 1870 - Southwestern ironclad beetle or Haldeman's ironclad beetle. - Z. nodulosus nodulosus
Solier, 1841
Ecology and life cycle edit
Economic significance edit
References edit
- ^ David Hugh Kattes (2009). Insects of Texas: A Practical Guide. Texas A&M University Press. p. 116. ISBN 9781603440820.
- ^ a b c Geo. H. Horn (1868). "American Coleoptera". Transactions of the American Entomological Society. 1. Acad. of Natural Sciences: 159–160. Retrieved April 29, 2011.
- ^ Charles A. Triplehorn (1972). "A review of the genus Zopherus of the world (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)" (PDF). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 108: 1–20.
- ^ a b Mike Quinn (April 29, 2011). "Southwestern Ironclad Beetle Zopherus nodulosus haldemani Horn". Texas Beetle Information. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^ "Zopherus nodulosus". Integrated Taxonomic Information System.