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beetle ID
Please let me know the species of this beetle. I think it is a wood boring species. Thanks,
Mel Boreham, Cottonwood, AZ

Hi Mel,
We needed to check with Eric Eaton and here is his response: “The images are of an ironclad beetle in the family Zopheridae (once part of the Tenebrionidae). Genus is most likely Phloeodes or Zopherus. Can’t seem to keep ‘em straight. Eric” Ironclad Beetles do not bore into wood. According to our sources, they eat fungus. They get their common name because of their tough exoskeleton.

Expert Update:(11/29/2005)
The imaged Zopherid from thanksgiving in AZ belongs to the genus Zopherus. It is probably Zopherus uteanus (Casey). Larvae of the Zopherini do bore into wood where they eat sheet fungi between the wood layers. As adults they probably feed on fungi, and are often collected under bark and rocks.
Ian Foley

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