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.
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