Zopherinae is a subfamily of beetle

Beetle

Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...

s, 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

Zopheridae

Zopheridae is a family of beetles that 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 considered subfamilies within the Zopheridae. There are...

 a much larger composite family, and the Zopherinae are now only a small component within it, consisting of 7 genera in the tribe Zopherini and one genus, Phellopsis in its own tribe (Phellopsini).

These beetles are apparently fungivore

Fungivore

A fungivore or mycophage is any animal that primarily or solely feeds upon living members of the fungus kingdom. Fungivory is a type of predation, and is an important part of the soil food web...

s and associated with rotting wood, and as the common name implies, have one of the hardest of all arthropod

Arthropod

An arthropod is an invertebrate animal having an exoskeleton , a segmented body, and jointed appendages. Arthropods are members of the phylum Arthropoda , and include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans, and others...

 exoskeleton

Exoskeleton

An exoskeleton is the external skeleton that supports and protects an animal's body, in contrast to the internal skeleton of, for example, a human. In popular usage, some of the larger kinds of exoskeletons are known as "shells". Examples of exoskeleton animals include insects such as grasshoppers...

s; in some species, it is almost impossible to drive an insect pin through their bodies without using a small drill to make a hole first.

When disturbed, ironclad beetles will play dead.

Some species in the genus Zopherus

Zopherus

Zopherus is a genus of beetles comprising 19 species. They live in North and Central America and are adapted to wood-boring. Some species are used as living brooches.-Distribution:...

in Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

 are decorated with costume jewelry

Costume jewelry

Costume jewelry is jewelry manufactured as ornamentation to complement a particular fashionable costume or garment. Costume jewelry came into being in the 1930s as a cheap, disposable accessory meant to be worn with a specific outfit...

 glued to their bodies, and sold as living brooch

Brooch

A brooch ; also known in ancient times as a fibula; is a decorative jewelry item designed to be attached to garments. It is usually made of metal, often silver or gold but sometimes bronze or some other material...

es, known as ma'kech, to be worn on one's clothes.

Selected species

• Genus Phellopsis LeConte
  John Lawrence LeConte
  John Lawrence LeConte was the most important American entomologist of the 19th century, responsible for naming and describing approximately half of the insect taxa known in the United States during his lifetime, including some 5,000 species of beetles...
  
  , 1862

Phellopsis montana Casey, 1907

Phellopsis obcordata

Phellopsis obcordata

Phellopsis obcordata is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae....

(Kirby, 1837)

Phellopsis porcata

Phellopsis porcata

Phellopsis porcata is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae....

Phellopsis robustula Casey, 1907

• Genus Nosoderma
  Nosoderma
  The genus Nosoderma includes 28 species of ironclad beetles from the Americas, including some common and widely-distributed species placed in the former genus Phloeodes....
  
  Solier, 1841

Nosoderma aequale

Nosoderma diabolicum

Nosoderma diabolicum

Nosoderma diabolicum is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae....

(LeConte, 1851)

Nosoderma exsculptum

Nosoderma guatemalense

Nosoderma inaequale

Nosoderma plicatum

Nosoderma plicatum

Nosoderma plicatum is a beetle of the Family Zopheridae....

(LeConte, 1859)

Nosoderma sylvaticum

Nosoderma zunilense

• Genus Zopherus
  Zopherus
  Zopherus is a genus of beetles comprising 19 species. They live in North and Central America and are adapted to wood-boring. Some species are used as living brooches.-Distribution:...
  
  Laporte, 1840

Zopherus championi Triplehorn, 1972

Zopherus chilensis

Zopherus concolor LeConte, 1851

Zopherus elegans Horn

George Henry Horn

George Henry Horn was a U.S. entomologist who specialized in the study of beetles.Born in Philadelphia, Horn attended the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with a degree in medicine in 1861...

, 1870

Zopherus gracilis Horn, 1867

Zopherus granicollis Horn, 1885

Zopherus jansoni

Zopherus jourdani

Zopherus laevicollis

Zopherus nervosus

Zopherus nodulosus Solier, 1841

Zopherus opacus Horn, 1867

Zopherus sanctaehelenae (Blaisdell, 1931)

Zopherus tristis LeConte, 1851

Zopherus uteanus (Casey, 1907)

Zopherus xestus Triplehorn, 1972