Texas Beetle Resources

Return to Texas Entomology - Compiled by Mike Quinn

Checkered Beetles of Texas - Family Cleridae

139 species of clerids have been recorded from Texas (E.G. Riley, pers. comm. 2022)
The following thumbnails illustrate over 70% of the Texas total.

Speciemens primarily shot at the TAMUIC and the UTIC insect collections.

Cymatodera -- Phyllobaenus -- Enoclerus -- Trichodes -- Pelonides -- Chariessa -- Necrobia

Subfamily Thaneroclerinae

Ababa tantilla (LeConte) - Ababa tantilla

Subfamily Tillinae

Neocallotillus elegans (Erichson) - Neocallotillus elegans Cymatoderella collaris (Spinola) - Cymatoderella collaris Cymatodera - Araeodontia peninsularis Araeodontia marginalis Barr 1952 - Araeodontia marginalis Cymatodera balteata LeConte - Cymatodera balteata=Cymatodera balteata LeConte - Cymatodera balteata=Cymatodera balteata LeConte - Cymatodera balteata - Cymatodera balteata LeConte 1854 - mostly Waco to Rio Grande, note: elongated reddish pronotum, main elytral band mostly straight edged, upper band often broken or even absent
Cymatodera sirpata Horn - Cymatodera sirpata=Cymatodera sirpata Horn - Cymatodera sirpata - Cymatodera sirpata Horn 1885 - common, Red River to Rio Grande, note: band edges not highly undulate, pale elytral apices
 Cymatodera undulata (Say) - Cymatodera undulata=Checkered Beetle - Cymatodera undulata - Cymatodera undulata (Say 1825) - common, e. US to AZ, note: highly undulate edges of bands, dark elytral apices.
912W01 - Cymatodera wolcotti 912W01 - Cymatodera wolcotti - Cymatodera wolcotti Barr 1950 - uncommon, se US, very similar to, and possibly a synonym of, C. undulata
Cymatodera puncticollis Bland - Cymatodera puncticollis=Cymatodera puncticollis Bland - Cymatodera puncticollis=Cymatodera puncticollis Bland - Cymatodera puncticollis=Cymatodera puncticollis Bland - Cymatodera puncticollis - Cymatodera puncticollis Bland 1863 - AZ to c. TX
Cymatodera tuta? - Cymatodera Clerid Oaks, Junipers, Sycamores - Cymatodera antennata Cymatodera aegra-complex Cymatodera fuscula LeConte - Cymatodera fuscula Anthicidae? - Cymatodera pubescens
Cymatodera neomexicana Knull - Cymatodera neomexicana Cymatodera obliquefasciata Schaeffer - Cymatodera obliquefasciata Cymatodera horni Wolcott - Cymatodera horni Tillinae - Cymatodera fuchsii Cymatodera inornata (Say) - Cymatodera inornata Cymatodera latefascia
Cymatodera belfragei Horn - Cymatodera belfragei Cymatodera bicolor=Cymatodera bicolor  Lecontella brunnea (Spinola) - Lecontella brunnea Lecontella gnara Wolcott - Lecontella gnara  Monophylla terminata (Say) - Monophylla terminata - male=Monophylla terminata (Say) - Monophylla terminata - female Monophylla pallipes (Schaeffer) - Monophylla pallipes - female=Monophylla pallipes (Schaeffer) - Monophylla pallipes - male This is probably a male of Monophylla californica - Monophylla californica

Subfamily Hydnocerinae

Isohydnocera albocincta (Horn) - Isohydnocera albocincta Isohydnocera brunnea Chapin - Isohydnocera brunnea Isohydnocera schusteri (Leconte) - Isohydnocera schusteri Isohydnocera curtipennis (Newman) - Isohydnocera curtipennis=Checkered Beetle - Isohydnocera curtipennis beetle - Isohydnocera tabida Phyllobaenus humeralis (Say) - Phyllobaenus humeralis Phyllobaenus subfasciatus (LeConte) - Phyllobaenus subfasciatus Phyllobaenus unifasciatus (Say) - Phyllobaenus unifasciatus=Beetle - Phyllobaenus unifasciatus Phyllobaenus discoideus (LeConte) - Phyllobaenus discoideus Clerid - Phyllobaenus pallipennis=Phyllobaenus pallipennis (Say) - Phyllobaenus pallipennis=Phyllobaenus pallipennis (Say) - Phyllobaenus pallipennis Phyllobaenus verticalis (Say) - Phyllobaenus verticalis=Phyllobaenus verticalis (Say) - Phyllobaenus verticalis Phyllobaenus pubescens (LeConte) - Phyllobaenus pubescens Phyllobaenus knausii (Wickham) - Phyllobaenus knausii Phyllobaenus tricolor (Schaeffer) - Phyllobaenus tricolor Phyllobaenus - Phyllobaenus niveifascius Phyllobaenus caeruleipennis (Wolcott) - Phyllobaenus caeruleipennis Phyllobaenus sp.? - Phyllobaenus longus Phyllobaenus corticinus (Gorham) - Phyllobaenus corticinus Phyllobaenus chapini Wolcott - Phyllobaenus chapini Phyllobaenus fallax (Wolcott) - Phyllobaenus fallax Phyllobaenus obscurus (Gorham) - Phyllobaenus obscurus Wolcottia pedalis (LeConte) - Wolcottia pedalis

Subfamily Clerinae

Perilypus ornaticollis (LeConte) - Perilypus ornaticollis Placopterus thoracicus (Olivier) - Placopterus thoracicus Priocera castanea (Newman) - Priocera castanea Thanasimus dubius (Fabricius) - Thanasimus dubius  Aulicus apachei Barr & Foster - Aulicus apachei Aulicus femoralis Schaeffer - Aulicus femoralis Aulicus monticola Aulicus dentipes Schaeffer - Aulicus dentipes Aulicus edwardsii (Horn) - Aulicus edwardsii Enoclerus quadrisignatus (Say) - Enoclerus quadrisignatus Enoclerus ichneumoneus (Fabricius) - Enoclerus ichneumoneus Enoclerus spinolae (LeConte) - Enoclerus spinolae Enoclerus nigripes (Say) - Enoclerus nigripes
Enoclerus lunatus Enoclerus rosmarus (Say) - Enoclerus rosmarus Enoclerus coccineus (Schenkling) - Enoclerus coccineus Enoclerus vetus Wolcott - Enoclerus vetus Enoclerus opifex (Gorham) - Enoclerus opifex
 Enoclerus cordifer (LeConte) - Enoclerus cordifer Enoclerus laetus (Klug) ssp. abruptus (LeConte) - Enoclerus laetus=Enoclerus laetus (Klug) ssp. abruptus (LeConte) - Enoclerus laetus=Enoclerus laetus complex - Enoclerus laetus
Enoclerus viduus (Klug) - Enoclerus viduus Enoclerus lecontei (Wolcott) - Enoclerus lecontei Enoclerus moestus (Klug) - Enoclerus moestus Trichodes bibalteatus LeConte - Trichodes bibalteatus Trichodes bicinctus Green - Trichodes bicinctus=Trichodes bicinctus Green - Trichodes bicinctus Trichodes oresterus Wolcott - Trichodes oresterus Trichodes simulator Horn - Trichodes simulator Checkered beetle from Banff 10.07.09 - Trichodes ornatus=Checkered beetle from Yellowstone 10.07.07 - Trichodes ornatus=Ornate Checkered Beetle - Trichodes ornatus Trichodes peninsularis Beautiful Colors - Trichodes apivorus  

Subfamily Epiphloeinae

Madoniella dislocatus (Say) - Madoniella dislocata Madoniella rectangularis Opitz - Madoniella rectangularis Pennasolis merkeli (Horn) - Pennasolis merkeli Pyticeroides laticornis (Say) - Pyticeroides laticornis=Pyticeroides laticornis (Say) - Pyticeroides laticornis

Subfamily Enopliinae

Cregya america Opitz - Cregya america Cregya quadrinotata (Chevrolat) - Cregya quadrinotata Cregya mixta Cregya oculata Pelonium leucophaeum (Klug) - Pelonium leucophaeum Pelonium maculicolle Schaeffer - Pelonium maculicolle
 Pelonides granulatipennis (Schaeffer) - Pelonides granulatipennis - male=Pelonides granulatipennis (Schaeffer) - Pelonides granulatipennis - male=Pelonides granulatipennis (Schaeffer) - Pelonides granulatipennis - female - Pelonides granulatipennis (Schaeffer)  - AZ to s. TX
Pelonides quadripunctata (Say) - Pelonides quadripunctata - male=BG2604 E4170 - Pelonides quadripunctata=Pelonides quadripunctata (Say) - Pelonides quadripunctata - female - Pelonides quadripunctata (Say) - e. US
Pelonides quadrinotata (Haldeman) - Pelonides quadrinotata - male=Pelonides quadrinotata (Haldeman) - Pelonides quadrinotata - female=Pelonides quadrinotata (Haldeman) - Pelonides quadrinotata - female - Pelonides quadrinotata (Haldeman) - TX to KS
Melyrid - Pelonides humeralis=Clerid? - Pelonides humeralis - Pelonides humeralis (Horn) - AZ to w. & s. TX

Subfamily Neorthopleurinae

Lebasiella pallipes (Klug) - Lebasiella pallipes Neorthopleura texana (Bland) - Neorthopleura texana=Neorthopleura texana (Bland) - Neorthopleura texana Neorthopleura thoracica (Say) - Neorthopleura thoracica

Subfamily Peloniinae

Chariessa pilosa (Forster) - Chariessa pilosa - male Chariessa texana Wolcott - Chariessa texana - male=Chariessa pilosa/texana - Chariessa texana - female Art show gift - Chariessa catalina Chariessa elegans (Cleridae) - Chariessa elegans
Chariessa vestita (Chevrolat) - Chariessa vestita=Chariessa vestita (Chevrolat) - Chariessa vestita=Chariessa vestita (Chevrolat) - Chariessa vestita=south Texas Chariessa - Chariessa vestita=Blue Beetle on my cut crape myrtle branches - Chariessa vestita

Subfamily Tarsosteninae

Tarsostenus univittatus

Subfamily Korynetinae

another cow carcass beetle - Necrobia ruficollis Necrobia rufipes (De Geer) - Necrobia rufipes Necrobia violacea (Linnaeus, 1758) - Necrobia violacea

Select bibliography:

Barr, W.F. 1950. Systematic and synonymical notes on New World Clerid beetles (Coleoptera). Entomologische Berichten 298(13): 61-62.

Barr, W.F. 1952. New species of Cymatodera from the southwestern United States and northern Mexico (Coleoptera, Cleridae). American Museum Novitates 1572: 1–9.

Barr, W.F. 1972. New species of North American Cymatodera (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Entomologische Arbeiten aus dem Museum G. Frey 23: 1-32.

Barr, W.F. 1975. Family Cleridae. Volume 4. Family 73. Pp. 1-18. In: R.H. Arnett, Jr. (ed.). Checklist of the beetles of North and Central America and the West Indies. Flora and Fauna Publications; Gainesville, FL.

Barr, W.F. 2005. New species and new distributional records for Mexican Pelonium (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Enopliinae). Folia entomol. Mexicana 44(Supl. 1): 55-62.

Barr, W.F. and D.E. Foster. 1979. Revision of the genus Aulicus (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Melanderia 33: 1–31.

Barr W.F. and J. Rifkind. 2009. Two new and one resurrected species of Enoclerus Gahan (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae) from the western United States. Zootaxa 2168: 57-62.

Burke, A.F. 2013. Six new species of Cymatodera from Mexico and Central America and the retention of Cymatodera obliquefasciata as a valid name (Cleridae, Tillinae). ZooKeys 299: 49–75.

Burke, A.F., J.M. Leavengood, G. Zolnerowich. 2015. A checklist of the New World species of Tillinae (Coleoptera: Cleridae), with an illustrated key to genera and new country records. Zootaxa 4059: 1-39.

Burke, A.F., and G. Zolnerowich. 2014. Cymatodera ochlera Barr, a junior synonym of Cymatodera wolcotti Barr, with a comparison to similar species (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Zootaxa, 3847(3), 423-430.

Burke, A.F., and G. Zolnerowich. 2016. Taxonomic revision of the New World genus Callotillus Wolcott (Cleridae, Tillinae), with the description of the new genus Neocallotillus, and an illustrated key of identification to species. ZooKeys 617: 65-89.

Burke, A.F., and G. Zolnerowich. 2017. A taxonomic revision of the subfamily Tillinae Leach sensu lato (Coleoptera, Cleridae) in the New World. ZooKeys 179: 75-157.

Corporaal, J.B. 1950. Cleridae. In: Hincks, W.D. (Ed.), Coleopterum catalogus supplementa, pars 23 (edito secunda). W. Junk's-Gravenhage, 373 pp.

Dybas, H.S. 1951. Albert Burke Wolcott: 1869-1950. The Coleopterists Bulletin 5(3): 33-38.

Ekis, G. 1977. Classification, phylogeny, and zoogeography of the genus Perilypus (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Smithsonian Contributions to Zoology. 227: i-iv + 1-138.

Foster, D.E. 1971. Observation on the biologies of Enoclerus abdominalis (Chevrolat) and Enoclerus opifex (Gorham) (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Coleopterists Bulletin 25: 127–129.

Foster, D.E. 1976. Revision of North American Trichodes (Herbst) (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Texas Tech University Special Publications No. 11. 86 p.

Green, J.W. 1917. A new Trichodes (Cleridae, Coleop.). Entomological News, 28: 367.

Horn, G.H.  1874-1876. Synopsis of the species of Cymatodera and Trichodes of the United States, Transactions of the American Entomological Society, 5: 220-232.

Knull, J.N. 1934. Five new species of Coleoptera (Cleridae, Elateridae, Buprestidae and Cerambycidae). Entomological News 45(1): 9-13.

Knull, J.N. 1951. The checkered beetles of Ohio (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Ohio Biological Survey Bulletin 8(42): 268-350.

Krombein, K.V. 1967. Trap-nesting wasps and bees: life histories. nests, and associates. Smithsonian Press. Washington, D.C., vi + 570 pp.

Leavengood Jr., J.M. 2008. The checkered beeltes (Coleoptera: Cleridae) of Florida. Unpublished thesis for the degree of Master of Science. University of Florida, Gainesville. 206 pp. Full PDF

Leavengood Jr., J.M. 2014. Nomenclatural and distributional notes regarding some North American species of Phyllobaenus (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Hydnocerinae). Giornale Italiano di Entomologia 13(59): 471-480.

Leavengood Jr, J.M. and B.H. Garner. 2014. Nomenclatural notes on some checkered beetle (Coleoptera: Cleridae) types of the Natural History Museum, London (BMNH).Zootaxa 3760: 301-335.

Leavengood, Jr., J.M., R.M. Gemmill, B.Raber and M.A. Quinn. 2012. Notes on the identification, distribution, and natural history of Phyllobaenus corticinus (Gorham, 1883) (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Hydnocerinae), including the first report from the United States. The Coleopterists Bulletin, 66(4): 351-356.

LeConte, J.L. 1849. Synopsis of the coleopterous insects of the group Cleridae, which inhabit the United States. Ann. Lyc. Nat. Hist. N. Y. 5: 9-35.

Linsley, E.G. and J.W. MacSwain. 1943. Observations on the life history of Trichodes ornatus (Coleoptera, Cleridae), a larval predator in the nests of bees and wasps. Annals of the Entomological Society of America 36: 589–601.

Mawdsley, J.R. 2004. Pollen transport by North American Trichodes Herbst (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 106(1): 199-201.

Opitz, W. 1997. Classification, natural history, and evolution of the Epiphloeinae (Co1eoptera:Cleridae). Part I. The genera of Epiphloeinae. Insecta Mundi 11: 51-96.

Opitz, W. 2002. Family 73. Cleridae Latreille 1804. Pp. 267-280. In: Arnett. R.H. Jr, et al. (Eds). American Beetles.Volume 2. Polyphaga: Scarabaeoidea through Curculionidea, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.

Opitz, W. 2007. Classification, natural history, and evolution of Epiphloeinae (Coleoptera, Cleridae). Part IV. The genera Pyticeroides Kuwert, 1894 and Diapromeces, Opitz, 1997. Entomologica Basiliensia et Collectionis Frey 29: 77-166.

Opitz, W. 2008. Classification, natural history, and evolution of Epiphloeinae (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Part VII. The genera Hapsidopteris Opitz, Iontoclerus Opitz, Katamyurus Opitz, Megatrachys Opitz, Opitzia Nemésio, Pennasolis Opitz, new genus, Pericales Opitz, new genus, Pteroferus Opitz, new genus, and Turbophloeus Opitz, new genus. Zootaxa 1754: 1-40.

Opitz, W. 2010. New taxa of Epiphloeinae Kuwert (Cleridae) and Chaetosomatidae Crowson (Coleoptera: Cleroidea). Insecta Mundi 0123: 1-28.

Opitz, W. 2010. Classification, natural history, phylogeny, and subfamily composition of the Cleridae and generic content of the subfamilies (Coleoptera: Cleroidea). Entomologica Basiliensia et Collectionis Frey, 32: 31–128.

Opitz, W. 2011. Revision of the checkered beetle genus Placopterus Wolcott (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Clerinae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 113(2): 137-153.

Opitz, W. 2011. Classification, natural history, and evolution of Korynetinae Laporte (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Part I. Generic composition of the subfamily and key to genera. Journal of Afrotropical Zoology 7: 29-67.

Opitz, W. 2011. Classification, natural history, and evolution of Epiphloeinae (Coleoptera, Cleridae) Part X. The genus Madoniella Pic, 1935. Entomologica Basiliensia et Collectionis Frey 33: 133-248.

Opitz W. 2013. Revision of the New World genus Neorthopleura Barr (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Annales de la Société Entomologique de France (N.S.), 49: 1-35.

Opitz, W. 2014. Classification, natural history, and evolution of the Epiphloeinae (Coleoptera: Cleridae) Part XI. Generic taxonomy, intergeneric phylogeny, and catalogue of the subfamily. Acta Musei Moraviae, Scientiae biologicae, Special issue 99(2): 1-94.

Opitz, W. 2014. Taxonomy of the New World genera of Enopliinae (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Journal of the Kansas Entomological Society 87(4): 358-384.

Opitz, W. 2015. Taxonomic revision of the New World genus Pelonides Kuwert (Coleoptera: Cleridae: Enopliinae). Canadian Entomologist 147(5): 501–526.

Opitz, W. 2017. Classification, natural history, and evolution of the subfamily Peloniinae Opitz (Coleoptera: Cleroidea: Cleridae). Part VIII. Systematics of the checkered beetle genus Chariessa Perty. Insecta Mundi 0574: 1-42.

Mawdsley, J. 1992. A discussion of the phena of Perilypus ornaticollis (LeConte) (Coleoptera: Cleridae), with a review of subspecies taxa in the family Cleridae. Psyche 99: 199-206.

Mawdsley, J.R. 2004. Pollen transport by North American Trichodes Herbst (Coleoptera: Cleridae). Proceedings of the Entomological Society of Washington 106(1): 199-201.

Rifkind, J. 2016. Enoclerus Gahan: predators of chemically protected ladybird beetles (Coleoptera: Cleridae and Coccinellidae). Insecta Mundi 0514: 1-5.

Schaeffer, C. 1908. On new and known Coleoptera of the families Coccinellidae and Cleridae. Journal of the New York Entomological Society, 16(3): 125-135

Schaeffer, C. 1917. On some North American Cleridae. (Col.). Journal of the New York Entomolgical Society 26: 129-134.

Schaeffer, C. 1921. New species of North American clerid beetles of the genus Aulicus. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 59(2365): 151–159.

Van Pelt, A.F. 2002. Insect species described from Big Bend National Park. Insecta Mundi, 16(1-3): 125-145.

Vaurie, P. 1952. The checkered beetles of north central Mexico (Coleoptera, Cleridae). American Museum Novitates 1597: 1–37.

Wolcott, A.B. 1908. New species of North American Hydnocera (Coleoptera: Cleridae). The Canadian Entomologist, 40: 229-233.

Wolcott, A.B. 1909. The Cleridae of the Public Museum of the city of Milwaukee. Bulletin of the Wisconsin Natural History Society 7: 93–102.

Wolcott, A.B. 1910. Notes on some Cleridae of Middle and North America, with descriptions of new species. Fieldiana Zoology 7(10): 339-401.

Wolcott, A.B. 1921. North American predaceous beetles of the tribe Tillini in the United States National Museum. Proceedings of the United States National Museum 59: 269-289.

Wolcott, A.B. 1927. Descriptions of a new genus and four new species of North American Cleridae. Coleopterological Contributions, 1: 105-110.

Wolcott, A.B. 1947. Catalogue of North American beetles of the family Cleridae. Fieldiana: Zoology, 32(2): 61-105. Full PDF

Jan 22, 2018 © Mike Quinn / entomike@gmail.com / Texas Entomology / Texas Beetle Resources / Photo Techniques