Zopherus jourdani is a species of ironclad beetle found in Central America. It is found in Honduras, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, and Nicaragua,[2][3][1] and has been collected every month of the year from altitudes ranging from 2500 to 9800 feet.[1] The species plays dead when disturbed, which earned it the name durene niño in Costa Rica. It lives under the bark of trees, including balsa and pine.[1][4]
The ability of Z. jourdani to survive for an extended time without food is documented in several papers and journals; it is known as caméleon in Guatemala because of this ability.[1][5][4] In the 1877–1878 Annales de la Sociéte Entomologique de Belgique, such a demonstration is recorded on the July 6 meeting: "Mr. J. Rodriguèz brought six examples from Guatemala, kept without food in a box during the since the month of April. Three arrived in Europe still alive."(French: M. J. Rodriguez vient d'en apporter de Guatemala six examplaires, demeurés sans nourriture dans un boîte depuis le mois d'Avril. Trois sont arrivés encore vivants en Europe.)[4]
Specimens of Z. jourdani have variable colouration; they are mottled black and white, but the amount of each colour present varies. Light forms from Costa Rica were described by George C. Champion in 1874 as Z. costaricensis,[6][1] which was synonymized nearly a century later in 1972.[1] Based on measurements recorded by Charles Triplehorn, it is one of the largest species in the genus, Z. chilensis being the largest. Z. jourdani has a length between 17.7 and 36mm, and a width of 6.1–12mm.[1]
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