Zopherinae

Taxobox
name = Ironclad beetles


image_width = 200px
image_caption = Ironclad beetle, "Zopherus nodulosus haldemani"
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Arthropoda
classis = Insecta
ordo = Coleoptera
superfamilia = Tenebrionoidea
familia = Zopheridae
subfamilia = Zopherinae
subdivision_ranks = Genera
subdivision = see text

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 7 genera in the tribe Zopherini and one genus, "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.

Some species in the genus "Zopherus" in Mexico are decorated with costume jewelry glued to their bodies, and sold as living brooches, to be worn on one's clothes.

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