Cymatodera sirpata Horn, 1885

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 : 36

Cymatodera sirpata Horn, 1885 ; Cleridae : Tillinae (no tribal assignment)

Illustrations: Plate 1-L. Key to clerid genera, couplet 24-C; Cymatodera key, couplet 4-A

Distribution: FL to TX to Mexico.

- Recorded from: FL, LA, TX and Mexico ( Burke et al., 2015).

- New State Records: FLORIDA: Marion County: Ocala , 29-II-1962, Mary Wibble ( CMNH, 1) . LOUISIANA: Grant Parish : 24-VI-1972, Boll Weevil Sex Attractant trap ( LSAM, 1) .

Natural History: Very little is known about the biology of this species.

Chemical lures: The Louisiana state record above was collected via a boll weevil sex attractant trap, however it was only a single specimen, so it is unknown whether the attractant played a role. It has been taken in unbaited Lindgren funnel traps in Texas ( King 2015) .

Comments: East of Texas, this species is known by only two specimens. In 2013, author JML examined and identified a single known Florida specimen of C. sirpata . This specimen was re-examined in 2024 for this study given the suspiciously disparate locality. The specimen is unquestionably C. sirpata . Ruling out a mislabeling accident, consultation with Robert Androw (CMNH) confirmed that the collector (Mary Wible) was known to collect locally in Pennsylvania, as well as Florida, and that the rounded point mount was also indicative that she prepared the specimen herself, rather than a museum technician well after the collecting event. There are additional specimens from Louisiana (LSUM) which require confirmation.