Difficult-to-pin

Guides

• Zopherus granicollis

  ironclad beetle

  Zopherus granicollis is a species of ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae, characterized by exceptionally hard, fused elytra that make specimens notoriously difficult to pin. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with two recognized subspecies: Z. g. granicollis and Z. g. ventriosus. Like other members of the genus, it exhibits nocturnal activity on tree trunks, though specific behavioral details for this species remain poorly documented.

  ironclad-beetleZopheridaenocturnalhard-exoskeletondifficult-to-pinconiferous-forestCentral-AmericaNorth-Americawoodland-beetle

• Zopherus granicollis ventriosus

  Zopherus granicollis ventriosus is a subspecies of ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae. Like other members of the genus, it possesses an exceptionally hard, heavily sclerotized exoskeleton that makes specimens notoriously difficult to pin for museum collections. The subspecies is distributed across parts of North America and Middle America. Adults are nocturnal and have been observed crawling on tree trunks at night, particularly conifers. The genus Zopherus is well-known among coleopterists for its extreme body armor and the challenges this poses for specimen preparation.

  ironclad-beetleZopheridaenocturnalarborealdifficult-to-pinheavily-sclerotizedsubspeciesNorth-AmericaMiddle-America

• Zopherus nodulosus

  Ironclad beetle

  Zopherus nodulosus is a species of ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae, named for the nodular bumps on its dorsal surface. The species occurs in Central America and North America, with recognized subspecies including Z. n. haldemani (Texas ironclad beetle) and Z. n. nodulosus. These beetles possess exceptionally hardened exoskeletons that make them notoriously difficult to pin, a trait shared with other members of the genus Zopherus.

  ironclad-beetlewood-borernocturnalexoskeletondifficult-to-pinCentral-AmericaNorth-AmericaTexas