Cleridae
Guides
Phyllobaenus arizonicus
Phyllobaenus arizonicus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Schaeffer in 1908. The specific epithet indicates its association with Arizona. As a member of the Cleridae, it belongs to a family commonly known as checkered beetles, many of which are predatory and associated with other insects.
Phyllobaenus caeruleipennis
Phyllobaenus caeruleipennis is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. The species name refers to its blue-winged appearance. Like other members of the genus Phyllobaenus, it is likely associated with fungal habitats and woodland environments where it preys on small arthropods. The species has been documented in the northeastern United States.
Phyllobaenus humeralis
Red-shouldered Clerid
Phyllobaenus humeralis is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Thomas Say in 1823. It is distributed across North America, with records from the United States and Canada including Alberta, British Columbia, and Manitoba. The common name 'Red-shouldered Clerid' refers to distinctive coloration on the humeral region. As with other members of Cleridae, it is likely a predator, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Phyllobaenus longus
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus longus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It was described by LeConte in 1884. The species is known from North America. As a member of the Cleridae family, it belongs to a group commonly known as checkered beetles, many of which are predatory or feed on other insects.
Phyllobaenus maritimus
Leconte's Checkered Beetle
Phyllobaenus maritimus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. Described by Wolcott in 1910, this species is known from North America. As a member of the genus Phyllobaenus, it belongs to a group of small to medium-sized clerid beetles often associated with wood-boring insects and their habitats.
Phyllobaenus obscurus
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus obscurus is a checkered beetle (family Cleridae) notable as the first documented case of a beetle acting as a parasitoid of ants. Larvae develop inside intact cocoons of two species in the Ectatomma ruidum species complex, feeding on ant prepupae or pupae and eventually killing the host. This parasitoid lifestyle represents a significant departure from typical clerid ecology, which centers on predation of wood-boring beetles. The species has been documented in Pacific coastal plains of Oaxaca, Mexico, where prevalence of parasitism is extremely low (<0.6% of available cocoons).
Phyllobaenus plagifer
Phyllobaenus plagifer is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, described by Fall in 1906. Checkered beetles in this genus are generally small to medium-sized with distinctive color patterns. Members of the genus Phyllobaenus are often associated with dead or dying wood and are predatory or scavengers in their feeding habits. The species is documented from North America.
Phyllobaenus pubescens
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus pubescens is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, a family commonly known for their patterned coloration and predatory habits. The species was described by LeConte in 1849 and is found in North America. Members of the genus Phyllobaenus are generally small beetles, though specific details about this species' biology remain limited in published sources.
Phyllobaenus robustus
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus robustus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It is native to North America. Members of the genus Phyllobaenus are typically small to medium-sized beetles with distinctive color patterns.
Phyllobaenus rufipes
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus rufipes is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It was described by Newman in 1840. The species is known to occur in North America, though detailed biological information remains limited.
Phyllobaenus scaber
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus scaber is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It has been recorded in North America, including British Columbia, Canada. The species was described by LeConte in 1852. Like other members of Cleridae, it belongs to a family commonly known as checkered beetles, though specific ecological details for this species remain limited.
Phyllobaenus subfasciatus
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus subfasciatus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It occurs across North America with documented records from western Canadian provinces. The species belongs to a genus whose members are generally predatory or scavenging as larvae and adults.
Phyllobaenus tricolor
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus tricolor is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Schaeffer in 1904. It is native to North America. As a member of the Cleridae family, it belongs to a group of beetles commonly known as checkered beetles, which are typically predatory or feed on other insects.
Phyllobaenus unifasciatus
checkered beetle
Phyllobaenus unifasciatus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. The species is distributed across North America, with confirmed records in the United States and Canada including Ontario and Quebec.
Placopterus
checkered beetles
Placopterus is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, established by Wolcott in 1910. The genus contains at least four described species found in North America. Members of this genus share the characteristic color patterns and body form typical of clerid beetles.
Plagiostira albonotata
white-marked shieldback
Plagiostira albonotata, commonly known as the white-marked shieldback, is a species of shield-backed katydid in the family Tettigoniidae. It is a large, robust katydid found in arid regions of the southwestern United States. The species is characterized by distinctive white markings on its body. Observations indicate activity during summer months in desert and semi-desert habitats.
shield-backed-katydidOrthopteraTettigoniidaedesertsouthwestern-United-Statesnocturnalbrachypterouskatydidinsectarid-habitatyucca-associationsummer-activitywhite-markingslarge-body-sizePlagiostiriniTettigoniinaeNew-MexicoArizonaUtahwest-Texassand-dunesdesert-scrubcrepuscularlimited-flightScudder-1876Plagiostira-albonotatawhite-marked-shieldbackEnsiferaTettigoniideaTettigonioideaHexapodaArthropodaInsectaAnimaliaEukaryotaMetazoagrasshoppers,-crickets-&-katydidsPlagiostira28-observationsiNaturalistGBIFCatalogue-of-LifeNCBI-TaxonomyWikipediaBeetles-In-The-Bush2018-New-Mexico/Texas-Insect-Collecting-TripTed-C.-MacRaeJeff-HuetherJune-2–9,-2018southeastern-New-MexicoMescalero-Sand-DunesKermit,-TexasHwy-380San-AntonioBinghamSandia-MountainsWalking-Sands-Rest-AreaValley-of-Fire-National-Recreation-AreaSierra-Blanca-MountainsSunset,-New-MexicoHobbs,-New-MexicoKermit-Sand-DunesI-10-Rest-AreaFabens,-TexasCarlsbad,-New-MexicoLoco-Hills,-New-MexicoCarrizozo,-New-MexicoBingham,-New-MexicoSocorro,-New-MexicoThe-BoxyuccaProsopis-glandulosamesquiteOpuntia-imbricatachollaJuniperus-monospermajuniperSapindus-drummondiisoapberryAcacia-greggiicatclaw-acaciaAcacia-rigidablack-acaciaThelespermaDaleaPenstemonRobiniaCeltisGaillardiaOenetheraBaccharisSphaeralceaEphedraCacamacactus-dodger-cicadaTragidion-armatumPrionus-arenariusPrionus-palparisPrionus-integerPolyphyllaMoneilemacactus-beetleGyascutusAcmaeoderaChrysobothrisAgrilusEnoclerusActenodesParatyndarisAcmaeoderopsisBrachysNeoclytusCleridaeCerambycidaeBuprestidaeScarabaeidaeCarabidaeTenebrionidaeMeloidaeCoreidaePompilidaetarantula-hawkCicindelidaeCylindera-lemniscatatiger-beetleLycaenidaeBrephidium-exiliswestern-pygmy-blueEchinargus-isolaReakirt's-blueshieldbackdesert-insectnocturnal-insectbrachypterous-insectsummer-insectarid-land-insectyucca-associated-insectNew-Mexico-insectArizona-insectUtah-insectTexas-insectsouthwestern-US-insectNorth-American-insectNearctic-insectTettigoniidae-insectOrthoptera-insectEnsifera-insectTettigoniinae-insectPlagiostirini-insectPlagiostira-insectP.-albonotatawhite-marked-shieldback-katydidgiant-katydidlarge-katydiddesert-katydidsand-dune-katydidyucca-katydidnocturnal-katydidbrachypterous-katydidsummer-katydidScudder's-katydid1876-katydidOrthopterankatydid-speciesshieldback-speciesTettigoniidae-speciesPlagiostira-speciesdesert-speciesarid-speciesnocturnal-speciesbrachypterous-speciessummer-speciesNew-Mexico-speciesArizona-speciesUtah-speciesTexas-speciessouthwestern-US-speciesNorth-American-speciesNearctic-speciesPriocera castanea
Chestnut-colored Clerid
Priocera castanea is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It occurs in North America, with records from Ontario, Canada, and Vermont, United States. The species is commonly known as the Chestnut-colored Clerid. As a member of Cleridae, it belongs to a family whose larvae are typically predatory on other insects, particularly those found in wood-boring beetle galleries.
Priocera chiricahuae
checkered beetle
Priocera chiricahuae is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Knull in 1939. The specific epithet refers to the Chiricahua Mountains of southeastern Arizona, suggesting this region as part of its native range. As a member of Cleridae, it likely functions as a predator of other insects, though specific biological details remain poorly documented. The species is recorded from North America with confirmed observations in the southwestern United States.
Tarsostenus
checkered beetles
Tarsostenus is a genus of small checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, established by Spinola in 1845. The genus comprises six described species distributed across Papua New Guinea, New Caledonia, and Australia, with one species (T. univittatus) being cosmopolitan in distribution. Members are predators specializing on wood-boring beetles, particularly bostrichids and anobiines. The genus is characterized by distinctive morphological features including an oblong pronotum with glabrous streaks and elytra with ten rows of punctations.
Thanasimus dubius
dubious checkered beetle, American bark beetle destroyer, checkered beetle predator, Wavering Checkered Beetle
Thanasimus dubius is a predatory checkered beetle (Cleridae) native to North and Central America. It specializes in preying upon bark beetles, particularly species in the genera Ips and Dendroctonus, with the southern pine beetle (Dendroctonus frontalis) being a well-documented prey item. Adults exhibit a stereotyped five-act predatory sequence involving search/ambush, seizure, alignment, consumption, and grooming. The species demonstrates chemotactic responses to bark beetle pheromones and tree volatiles, and shows regional genetic differentiation across its eastern North American range. It has been investigated as a potential biological control agent for forest pest management.
Thanasimus trifasciatus
three-banded checkered beetle
Thanasimus trifasciatus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It is found in North America, with records from Canada (Ontario and Québec) and the United States. The genus Thanasimus comprises predatory beetles commonly associated with bark beetles and other wood-boring insects. As a member of this genus, T. trifasciatus likely shares the general ecological habits of its congeners, though specific studies on this species are limited.
Tillinae
checkered beetles (subfamily)
Tillinae is a subfamily of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) comprising approximately 164 described species across 11 genera in the New World. The subfamily is characterized by diagnostic morphological features including procryptosternum fused to pronotal extension, closed procoxal cavities, and 5-5-5 tarsal formula. Body size ranges from 3 to 40 mm. The genus Cymatodera dominates the subfamily with approximately 134 species, exhibiting its greatest diversity in Mexico.
Trichodes
checkered beetles
Trichodes is a genus of checkered beetles (family Cleridae) containing approximately 64 species, with 11 species occurring in North America. The genus includes some of the largest and most strikingly colored members of the family. Adults are frequently found on flowers where they feed on pollen and nectar, while larvae are specialized predators that develop within the nests of bees and wasps.
Trichodes apivorus
checkered beetle
Trichodes apivorus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, native to Central and North America. It has been documented visiting flowers, including those of Sabal palmetto (cabbage palm) and Dionaea muscipula (Venus flytrap). The species is known to have two subspecies: T. a. apivorus and T. a. borealis. Its colorful appearance and flower-visiting behavior make it a notable subject for entomological observation.
Trichodes oresterus
checkered beetle
Trichodes oresterus is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, described by Wolcott in 1910. The species occurs in North America, with confirmed records from the southwestern United States including Oklahoma and New Mexico. Adults have been observed visiting flowers, particularly yellow composites in the genus Thelesperma. Like other members of the genus Trichodes, this species likely exhibits the characteristic life history of laying eggs on flowers, with larvae subsequently attaching to visiting bees or wasps to be transported to host nests where they prey on developing brood.
Trichodes ornatus
Ornate Checkered Beetle
Trichodes ornatus is a checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, found in western North America. Adults are medium-sized with distinctive coloration and are frequently observed on flowers, particularly yellow composites. The species has a complex life history involving larval development as a predator/parasitoid in the nests of bees and wasps, where larvae feed on host immature stages and pollen provisions.
Trichodes peninsularis
checkered beetle
Trichodes peninsularis is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae, first described by Horn in 1894. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with two recognized subspecies: T. p. basalis and T. p. horni. Field observations document adults visiting flowers of Isocoma tenuisecta, Gutierrezia microcephala, and Hymenothrix wislizeni in the southwestern United States.
Trichodes peninsularis basalis
Trichodes peninsularis basalis is a subspecies of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It belongs to a genus of predatory beetles commonly found on flowers, where they feed on pollen and other flower-visiting insects. The subspecific epithet 'basalis' suggests a geographic or morphological distinction from the nominate form, though specific diagnostic features for this subspecies are not well documented in available sources.
Trichodes peninsularis horni
Trichodes peninsularis horni is a subspecies of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It has been documented in southeastern Arizona, where adults have been observed on flowers of Lasianthaea podocephala (San Pedro daisy). The subspecies belongs to a genus whose larvae are typically predatory, though specific details for this taxon remain limited.
Wolcottia pedalis
checkered beetle
Wolcottia pedalis is a species of checkered beetle in the family Cleridae. It is found in North America. The species was first described by LeConte in 1866.