Checkered Beetle

Subject: Borers in Oregon
Location: Josephine Co., Oregon
October 19, 2014 5:39 pm
We were splitting Madrone firewood today (10/19/14), and it was full of borers of some kind. There were two varieties. The black & green variety was the most common (probably 90%), but there were also some of the red and black. We’re interested in learning more about them, particularly whether they’re a threat to our woods.
Signature: Jim

Hi Jim,
We have not had much luck identifying your red and black beetles, but it might be partly due to the lack of clarity in the images, and that they look velvety in texture, but we are not sure if that is an illusion.  Please clarify the tomentosity of your beetle, because other than the apparent texture of your individuals,  they remind us of Pleasing Fungus Beetles which are pictured on BugGuide.  Perhaps one of our readers will be able to write in with an identification.

Arthur Evans identifies Checkered Beetle
Daniel,
Just saw this post on your page. It is a clerid beetle, Chariessa elegans <http://bugguide.net/node/view/169445>.
Cheers, ART
Arthur V. Evans, D.Sc.
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Research Collaborator:  Department of Entomology, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC