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IRONCLAD AND CYLINDRICAL BARK BEETLES

ZOPHERIDAE

Z

opheridae is a modest-sized family with fewer

than 2,000 named species, although their

biology is very variable. In older literature, the

name “Zopheridae” referred only to the large

ironclad beetles, with the majority of smaller

species being placed as “Colydiidae” or

“Monommatidae,” but the two latter families have

now been absorbed into Zopheridae. Most species

are fungus or detritus feeders, living under the bark

of trees. The true ironclad beetles resemble the

others but are much larger, almost 2 in (5 cm) long,

and as the name suggests, are hard-bodied and

robust beetles with their elytra fused together,

making them very strong but unable to fly. True

ironclad beetles are found in most continents, but

are most abundant and species-rich in North

America, with ten species found in the USA and

many more in Mexico.

There is a curious tradition in Mexico of

capturing the larger species of the genus Zopherus

and decorating them with costume jewelry and

pieces of brightly colored cloth, attaching them

family

Zopheridae

known species

1,700

distribution

Worldwide except Antarctica. The large

ironclad beetles are typical of North

America, but some species of Zopheridae

can be found in suitable habitats almost

everywhere, although they are rarely

common

habitat

Generally found in forests, associated with

living and dead wood

size

2–50 mm

diet

Most species feed on fungi, detritus, and the

larvae of other insects on or under the bark

of trees. Some, like the genus Colydium, are

predators of wood-boring beetles

ZOPHERIDAE

right | Pristoderus chloreus

This Australian beetle lives

among lichens on tree bark.

It secretes a coating that

resembles lichen, and algae

even grow on the beetle.