Diabolical ironclad beetle of the Zopheridae family is indigenous to the deserts region of Western America. It lives up to its name, being as durable as iron, sustaining even if run down by a car, or squashed by foot. It owes its hardy nature to the arrangement of its wing covers or elytra that contribute towards their increased lifespan.
Size: 25.4 mm (1 inch)
Color: It has a grayish-brown body, with a black armor-like structure enveloping its body, making it resemble a rock.
Other Characteristic Features: These flat-bodied beetles are nearly indestructible because of their thick and hard elytra, interlocked or fused.
Though not much detail is available about the larva’s identification, it is known to inhabit the dead woods of trees like pecan and oak.
Like the larva, no information is found about the pupa, but the pupation phase occurs in the deadwood.
The female lays eggs near the bark of the trees.
The larvae and adults mostly live and feed on the fungi growing in the barks. However, there has been no report of any damage caused by these beetles to the threes where they dwell.
| Adult lifespan | About two years |
| Duration of larval stage | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Desert regions in the western parts of North America |
| Habitat | Mostly woodlands and deserts |
| Common Predators | Birds, bugs |
| Seasons active from | |
| Host Plants | Oak, pecan |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Fungi growing in the bark of the trees |
Image Source: media.nature.com, bugguide.net, i.pinimg.com, elharo.com
Diabolical ironclad beetle of the Zopheridae family is indigenous to the deserts region of Western America. It lives up to its name, being as durable as iron, sustaining even if run down by a car, or squashed by foot. It owes its hardy nature to the arrangement of its wing covers or elytra that contribute towards their increased lifespan.
Size: 25.4 mm (1 inch)
Color: It has a grayish-brown body, with a black armor-like structure enveloping its body, making it resemble a rock.
Other Characteristic Features: These flat-bodied beetles are nearly indestructible because of their thick and hard elytra, interlocked or fused.
Though not much detail is available about the larva’s identification, it is known to inhabit the dead woods of trees like pecan and oak.
Like the larva, no information is found about the pupa, but the pupation phase occurs in the deadwood.
The female lays eggs near the bark of the trees.
The larvae and adults mostly live and feed on the fungi growing in the barks. However, there has been no report of any damage caused by these beetles to the threes where they dwell.
| Adult lifespan | About two years |
| Duration of larval stage | Not recorded |
| Distribution | Desert regions in the western parts of North America |
| Habitat | Mostly woodlands and deserts |
| Common Predators | Birds, bugs |
| Seasons active from | |
| Host Plants | Oak, pecan |
| Diet of larvae and adults | Fungi growing in the bark of the trees |
Image Source: media.nature.com, bugguide.net, i.pinimg.com, elharo.com
