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Project Noah Nature School
Zopherus nodulosus haldemani Horn
This beetle is white in color with black splotches/dots on its' body. The legs of this beetle are black and its' mouth is yellow.The exoskeleton of this beetle is extremely hard. Life stages: egg, larvae, pupal, adult
Pecan, Oak, and Elm trees. Often found on dead trees due to the food sources these trees provide. Ironclad beetles feed off of lichens, dead wood, plant material, and fungi.
This was an awesome find! We learned so many interesting things about these beetles! This guy was found on an oak tree within an open field near our playground. Fun Facts: The exoskeleton of this beetle is so strong that entomologists must use a drill to create a hole prior to pinning a specimen! These beetles will "play dead" if startled, and are extremely hard to kill. In Mexico, members of this beetle family, are used as "living brooches"! The biology of this species is not well known. Evidence does not exist that it is harmful to plants or humans! Ref: https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2013... http://www.arrantsoutdoors.com/blog/2015... https://texasinsects.tamu.edu/coleoptera...
Spotted on May 13, 2019
Submitted on May 15, 2019
2 Comments
Thank you so much Daniele!
Great find Dawn and class!