Trichodes apivorus Germar, 1824

Chapman, Eric G., Leavengood, John M. & Dupuis, Julian R., 2025, The Cleridae and Thanerocleridae of eastern North America, with illustrated keys, updated distributions, and special emphasis on the Kentucky fauna, Zootaxa 5639 (1), pp. 1-88 : 68

Trichodes apivorus Germar, 1824 ; Cleridae : Clerinae : Dieropsini

Illustrations: Plate 5-I. Key to clerid genera, couplet 14-C, couplet 15-E, couplet 17-D, couplet 18-B, D; Trichodes key, couplet 1-A

Distribution: South FL to ME to CO to TX.

- Recorded from: AL, CO, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IL, LA, MA, MD, ME, MS, NC, NE, NH, NJ, NY, PA, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WV, and Canada ( Wolcott 1909; Bøving & Champlain 1920; Wolcott 1947; Papp 1960; Barr 1975; Downie & Arnett 1996). Foster (1976) reported records for Louisiana and Texas but believed them to be erroneous. This leads the authors to suspect the same of the New Mexico record in the literature, as well as Wolcott’s (1947) inclusion of Mexico. Such records were likely misidentified specimens of Trichodes bibalteatus LeConte. Foster (1973) is referenced for the specimens examined in Foster (1976). Without access to Foster’s (1973) dissertation, one cannot be certain as to which states do and do not have verified records in Foster’s (1976) distribution maps.

Natural History: This diurnal species is a pollen feeder as adults and a predator of bees and wasps in their nests as larvae ( Bøving & Champlain 1920). Collecting methods include insect flight, Malaise, Steiner and McPhail traps in Florida ( Leavengood (2008b), who reported the following flower collections from label data: annual ragweed

( Ambrosia artemisiifolia ), black-jack ( Bidens pilosa ), blackroot ( Pterocaulon pycnostachyum ), cassia ( Cassia ),

citrus ( Citrus ), inkberry ( Ilex glabra ), oakleaf fleabane ( Erigeron quercifolius ), pipewort ( Eriocaulon ), prickly pear

( Opuntia ), saw palmetto ( Serenoa repens ), scrub palmetto ( Sabal etonia ), shining sumac ( Rhus copallinum ), slash pine ( Pinus elliottii ), swamp smartweed ( Polygonum hydropiperoides ), thistle ( Cirsium ), watermelon ( Citrullus lanatus ), white sweetclover ( Melilotus albus ). It has also been reported being common on Venus flytrap flowers ( Dionaea muscipula ) in North Carolina, where they were carrying copious amounts of pollen and despite its commonness at these flowers, were never found as prey of the flytrap ( Youngsteadt et al. 2018).