| | Checkered beetles | | Checkered beetles (Cleridae) are a family in the order beetles (Coleoptera), the suborder Polyphaga, the infraorder Cucujiformia and the superfamily Cleroidea. Subfamilies of the checkered beetle are: Clerinae, Epiphloeinae, Enopliinae, Hydnocerinae, Korynetinae, Tarsosteninae, Thaneroclerinae and Tillina. There are approximately 3,600 species of Cleridae worldwide, 500 of which exist in North America, 70 in Europe. In Central Europe 20 species from 11 different genera can be found. | | |
| | | Genera of the checkered beetle are: Allonyx, Anticoclerus, Aphelocerus, Aulicus, Blaxima, Caestron, Canariclerus, Clerus, Colyphus, Coptoclerus, Eleale, Enoclerus, Epiclines, Eurymanthus, Gyponyx, Natalis, Omadis, Opilo, Perilypus, Placopterus, Priocera, Scrobiger, Stimatium, Thanasimus, Trichodes, Trogodendron, Amboakis, Epiphloeus, Ichnea, Madoniella, Pyticeroides, Antygodera, Chariessa, Cregya, Hublella, Muisca, Neorthopeura, Paracregya, Pelonium, Phymatophea, Pyticara, Isohydnocera, Lemidia, Phyllobaenus, Wolcottia, Korynetes, Lebasiella, Loedelia, Necrobia, Tarsostenodes, Tarsostenus, Abana, Zenodosus, Araeodontia, Bogcia, Callotillus, Cladiscus, Cymatodera, Lecontella and Monophylla. | | |
| | | Among the species of Cleridae are: Allonyx quadrimaculatus, Canariclerus paivae, Clerus mutillarius, Opilo abeillei, Opilo domesticus, Opilo mollis, Opilo pallidus, Opilo taeniatus, Thanasimus femoralis, Thanasimus formicarius, Trichodes affinis, Trichodes albanicus, Trichodes alvearius, Trichodes ammios, Trichodes apiarius, Trichodes crabroniformis, Trichodes creticus, Trichodes cyprius, Trichodes favarius, Trichodes flavocinctus, Trichodes ganglbaueri, Trichodes graecus, Trichodes laminatus, Trichodes leucopsideus, Trichodes longissimus, Trichodes nobilis, Trichodes octopunctatus, Trichodes olivieri, Trichodes punctatus, Trichodes quadriguttatus, Trichodes similis, Trichodes sipylus, Trichodes suturalis, Trichodes umbellatarum, Trichodes winkleri, Trichodes zaharae, Dermestoides sanguinicollis, Enoplium doderoi, Enoplium serraticorne, Corynetinus fimetarius, Korynetes caeruleus, Korynetes coxalis, Korynetes geniculatus, Korynetes pusillus, Korynetes ruficornis, Necrobia ruficollis, Necrobia rufipes, Necrobia violacea, Necrobinus defunctorum, Necrobinus laufferi, Opetiopalpus bicolor, Opetiopalpus hybridus, Opetiopalpus scutellaris, Opetiopalpus wagneri, Paratillus carus, Tarsostenus univittatus, Denops albofasciatus, Denops canariensis, Flabellotilloidea palaestina, Teloclerus compressicornis, Tilloidea notata, Tilloidea transversalis, Tilloidea unifasciata, Tillus elongatus, Tillus flabellicornis, Tillus ibericus, Tillus pallidipennis und Tillus pectinicornis. | | |
| | | Adult Cleridae reach body lengths of 3-24 mm. Most species are long and oval in shape. Their bodies are shiny, bristly and very colourful, usually red, yellow, orange or blue. The head and pronotum are almost the same width. The neck shield is elongated. For their carnivorous diet, Cleridae have particularly strongly developed mandibles. The antennae in most species are club-shaped, widening at the end, in others they are serrated or filamentous. | | |
| | | Cleridae fly and run well. They are present on different flowering plants or on tree bark, where they prey on other insects or their larvae. Female Cleridae (depending on species) lay 28 to 42 eggs under tree bark. The hatched larvae also prey on other insects. | | |
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