Identification, Images, & Information
For Insects, Spiders & Their Kin
For the United States & Canada
 

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National Moth Week was July 19-27, and the Summer 2025 gathering in Louisiana, July 19-27

Photos of insects and people from the 2024 BugGuide gathering in Idaho July 24-27

Moth submissions from National Moth Week 2024

Photos of insects and people from the 2022 BugGuide gathering in New Mexico, July 20-24

Photos of insects and people from the Spring 2021 gathering in Louisiana, April 28-May 2

Photos of insects and people from the 2019 gathering in Louisiana, July 25-27

Subfamily Clerinae

Representative Images

Enoclerus rosmarus (Say) - Enoclerus rosmarus Thanasimus? - Enoclerus sphegeus Enoclerus nigripes CLERIDAE Enoclerus nigripes? Checkered beetle - Enoclerus rosmarus Enoclerus rosmarus Enoclerus spinolae? - Enoclerus spinolae P. thoracicus - Placopterus thoracicus Dubious Checkered Beetle - Thanasimus dubius

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)
Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)
Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)
Class Insecta (Insects)
Order Coleoptera (Beetles)
Suborder Polyphaga
No Taxon (Series Cucujiformia)
Superfamily Cleroidea
Family Cleridae (Checkered Beetles)
Subfamily Clerinae

Numbers

the largest subfamily in the Cleridae, with 69 spp. in 7 genera in our area(1) and >1600 described (+many undescribed) spp. in >110 genera worldwide(2)

Size

worldwide, 2.8–44.0 mm(2)

Range

worldwide, most abundant in the tropics(2)

Habitat

Most adults hunt on the outside bark while the larvae feed in the tunnels of inner bark(2)

Food

most prey on wood infesting insects, esp. bark beetles; Trichodes spp. feed on pollen and other anthophilic insects; Aulicus terrestris, on lepidopterous larvae and egg masses of lubber grasshoppers(2)

Life Cycle

3-5 larval instars, 1-4 generations per year; in cold climes, overwintering may take place as mature larvae, pupae, or adults(2)

Remarks

Most adults are diurnal(2)

Works Cited

1.American Beetles, Volume II: Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionoidea
Arnett, R.H., Jr., M. C. Thomas, P. E. Skelley and J. H. Frank. (eds.). 2002. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.Classification, natural history, phylogeny, and subfamily composition of the Cleridae and generic content of the subfamilies
Opitz W. 2010. Entomologica Basiliensia et Collections Frey 32: 31–128.
Contributed by v belov on 9 April, 2010 - 4:38am
Additional contributions by Mike Quinn
Last updated 28 August, 2015 - 11:23pm

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