Zopherini

Solier, 1834

Genus Guides

Phloeodes(diabolical ironclad beetle)
Sesaspis
Zopherus(ironclad beetles)

A tribe of beetles within the Zopheridae, characterized by heavily sclerotized bodies and a primarily New World distribution. The tribe comprises multiple including Noserinus, Nosoderma, Phloeodes, Sesaspis, and Verodes. A 2008 phylogenetic analysis revised the generic classification, elevated Sesaspis from synonymy, and described two new Central American .

Zopherus by (c) Toby, some rights reserved (CC BY), uploaded by Toby. Used under a CC-BY license.

Phloeodes diabolicus by (c) Ken-ichi Ueda, some rights reserved (CC BY). Used under a CC-BY license.

Zopherus nodulosus haldemani 111580239 by Meghan Cassidy. Used under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license.

Pronunciation

How to pronounce Zopherini: /ˌzoʊfəˈraɪnaɪ/

These audio files are automatically generated. While they are not always 100% accurate, they are a good starting point.

Identification

Members of Zopherini are distinguished from related groups by heavily sclerotized, often sculptured . The tribe includes the well-known Zopherus, which was excluded from the 2008 phylogenetic revision due to prior comprehensive study. Identification to genus requires reference to the revised keys provided in taxonomic revisions, particularly for the multispecies genera Noserinus, Nosoderma, Phloeodes, Sesaspis, and Verodes.

Images

Distribution

Primarily distributed in the New World. Two new , Sesaspis ashei and Sesaspis triplehorni, have been described from Central America. Geographic distributions are documented for all recognized species in the tribe.