Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jul 22, 2026

Zopherus nodulosus

Zopherus nodulosus is a species of ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae. It is found in Central America and North America.

Last revised
Jul 22, 2026
Read time
≈ 2 min
Length
371 w
Citations
25
Source
Wikipedia ↗
Zopherus nodulosus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Clade: Pancrustacea
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Suborder: Polyphaga
Infraorder: Cucujiformia
Family: Zopheridae
Subfamily: Zopherinae
Genus: Zopherus
Species:
Z. nodulosus
Binomial name
Zopherus nodulosus
Solier, 1841
Subspecies

Zopherus nodulosus haldemani, Zopherus nodulosus nodulosus1

Zopherus nodulosus is a species of ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae.2 It is found in Central America and North America.345

The species name nodulosus refers to the bumps or nodes on the beetle's back.67

Subspecies

Zopherus nodulosus haldemani pattern variation source ↗

Z. n. haldemani

Z. n. haldemani Horn, 1870, common names Haldeman's ironclad beetle8 or Texas ironclad beetle,7 is sometimes treated as a separate species.29 It can grow between 1.5 and 2 centimetres in length. The body is a blotchy black-and-white pattern, and the legs are fully black.1011 The subspecies name, haldemani, references the Haldeman brothers, Samuel Haldeman and Horace Haldeman, the former a naturalist and philologist, the latter a soldier and one of the first people to concentrate on insect collection in Texas.121379

They are thought to feed on lichen and dead plant material.711 Females have been observed laying eggs on American elms, and larvae and pupae have been found in pecan wood,119 which "apparently serves as the developmental site for this species".11 They are found in East and Central Texas.149

Z. n. nodulosus

Z. n. nodulosus can grow between 1.4 and 2.8 centimetres in length, and 0.5 to 1.1 cm in width.15

  • Z. n. haldemani
  • Z. n. nodulosus
References

References

  1. "Zopherus nodulosus Solier, 1841".
  2. "Zopherus nodulosus Solier, 1841". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  3. "Zopherus nodulosus Report". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  4. "Zopherus nodulosus". GBIF. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  5. "Zopherus nodulosus species Information". BugGuide.net. Retrieved 2020-01-25.
  6. "Texas Ironclad Beetle". Field Station. 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  7. "One Tough Coleoptera". Arrants Outdoors, LLC. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  8. Society, National Geographic. "Four Haldeman'S Iron Clad Beetles". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  9. "Ironclad Beetle (Zopherus haldemani)". texasento.net. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  10. "Ironclad beetle". Project Noah. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  11. ""Ironclad" Beetle". texasinsects.tamu.edu. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  12. "TSHA | Haldeman, Horace". www.tshaonline.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  13. "Samuel Steman Haldeman". Home. Archived from the original on 2022-07-01. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  14. "Bug o'the Week - Texas Ironclad Beetle - Riveredge Nature Center". www.riveredgenaturecenter.org. Retrieved 2022-07-20.
  15. A Review of the Genus Zopherus of the World (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) by Triplehorn, Charles