''Zopherus nodulosus,'' is a species of

ironclad beetle Zopherinae is a subfamily of beetles, commonly known as ironclad beetles. Together with the subfamily Usechinae, they have been treated historically as a family, but have recently been joined by several additional taxa, making the Zopheridae ...

in the family

Zopheridae The Zopheridae family of beetles has grown considerably in recent years as the members of two other families have been included within its circumscription; these former families are the Monommatidae and the Colydiidae, which are now both incl ...

. It is found in Central America and North America. The species name ''nodulosus'' refers to the bumps or nodes on the beetle's back.

Subspecies

Zopherus nodulosus haldemani variation sjh

''Z. n. haldemani''

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, 1870, common names Haldeman's ironclad beetle or Texas ironclad Beetle, is sometimes treated as a separate species. 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. The subspecies name, ''haldemani'', references the Haldeman brothers ( Samuel Haldeman and Horace Haldeman), the former a naturalist and

philologist Philology () is the study of language in oral and written historical sources; it is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics (with especially strong ties to etymology). Philology is also defined as th ...

, the latter a soldier and one of the first people to concentrate on insect collection in Texas. They are thought to feed on

lichen A lichen ( , ) is a composite organism that arises from algae or cyanobacteria living among filaments of multiple fungi species in a mutualistic relationship. Females have been observed laying eggs on American elms, and larvae and pupae have been found in pecan wood, which "apparently serves as the developmental site for this species". They are found in

East East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fa ...

and

Central Texas Central Texas is a region in the U.S. state of Texas surrounding Austin and roughly bordered by San Saba to Bryan and San Marcos to Hillsboro. Central Texas overlaps with and includes part of the Texas Hill Country and corresponds to a ph ...

''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.A Review of the Genus Zopherus of the World (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae)
by Triplehorn, Charles File:Texas Ironclad Beetle (Zopheridae, Zopherus nodulosus haldemani) (26469861181).jpg, alt=, ''Z. n. haldemani'' File:Zopherus nodulosus nodulosus sjh.jpg, alt=, ''Z. n. nodulosus''

References

Tenebrionoidea Articles created by Qbugbot Beetles described in 1841 {{zopheridae-stub Zopheridae Beetles of Central America Beetles of North America