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Project Noah Nature School
Zopherus haldemani
The striking adult beetle is 5/8 to 1 3/16 inch long and the body is adorned by a black and creamy white blotchy color pattern. Its exoskeleton (integument) is extremely hard.
On back deck in wildlife habitat yard.
Ironclad beetles range in size from about ½ to 1 1/4 inches in length. Some of the species are entirely black but some are strikingly marked with white and black patterns, which can make it very difficult to locate them on the trunk of trees. These beetles are unique in that they have no hind wings and their elytra (front wings) are fused together. Thus they do not fly but crawl from place to place. The exoskeletons of these beetles is extremely thick, hence their name. This species is living jewelry in Mexico where the beetles are decorated by jewelers. Ironclad beetles are nocturnal and will act dead if touched or disturbed.
Spotted on Oct 5, 2013
Submitted on Oct 7, 2013
1 Comment
Cool beetle!