Ophidius histrio

Ophidius histrio is a species of click beetle in the genus Ophidius endemic to eastern Australia.

Ophidius histrio
Ophidius histrio photographed in Booroobin, Queensland
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Elateriformia
Family:	Elateridae
Genus:	Ophidius
Species:	O. histrio
Binomial name
Ophidius histrio (Boisduval, 1835)
Synonyms[1]
Elater histrio Boisduval, 1835

Taxonomy and history

This species was described as Elater histrio by Jean Baptiste Boisduval in 1835 but was transferred to the genus Ophidius by Ernest Candèze in 1863.^[2]

Distribution and habitat

Ophidius histrio is known from Queensland and New South Wales in eastern Australia.^[1][2]

Description

Adult Ophidius histrio are distinctive orange-brown beetles with black markings, measuring approximately 15–22 mm (0.59–0.87 in) long and 4–6 mm (0.16–0.24 in) wide. The head is entirely black, while the pronotum is typically marked with three longitudinal black lines. The elytra each have a pattern of curved black lines.^[2] The larvae have not been described.^[3]

Ecology

Ophidius histrio adults have been found on Syzygium smithii and on the flowers of Bursaria and Leptospermum.^[3]