Beetles and Their Different Types

Introduction

Beetles are found everywhere around us. They are very common insects. Beetles belong to the insect order Coleoptera. They can be easily identified by their hard armour-the elytra, giving the appearance of a big nut.

Characteristics of Beetles

Some of the key features of Beetles are as described below.

⦁ Body structure − Adult beetles can be distinguished by a pair of elytra, the hardened forewings having cryptic colour patterns. The elytra protect the beetle from mechanical damage, predators, parasites, pathogens, and excessive desiccation to increase their longevity and survival. They can adapt to different habitats from deserts to aquatic ecosystems, and feed on both plants and animals.
Size − Beetles can vary in size from a few millimetres to about two-hundred mm. They can have diverse body shapes and structures. Ground beetles have a flat body with an oval shape, grooves and ridges, and legs and antennae are long and slender, while aquatic beetles have flat under surface with short antennae, forelegs short and longer hindlegs with fringed hair used as paddles.
Reproduction − Reproduction is bisexual in beetles and sometimes can be parthenogenetic. After fertilization eggs develop and hatch to form larva which undergoes moulting several times to metamorphose into adult beetles. The larvae of beetles are drastically different from their adults.
Life cycle − The life cycle of a beetle depends on the environment, feeding habits, and nature of its habitat. Beetles have a wide variety of feeding habits; they can be predators, scavengers, phytophagous insect pests, or parasitic

They can also form symbiotic associations-like in certain weevils living in forests of New Guinea help in the growth of different algae, fungi, lichens, liverworts, mites, and mosses. They can protect themselves and lure prey in various ways- mimicry and cryptic colouration, secretion of repellents, making sounds, and light production.

Different Types of Beetles, Their Description, and Importance

The table below lists the different types of beetles, their description, and their importance.

Types	Description	Importance
Lady bug/lady beetles/lady bird beetles	They can be brightly colored from red, orange, yellow to dull coloration like black, brown, and grey with small black spots on the dorsal surface. They have a round body with smooth surface and flat underside	Predators of insect herbivores feeding on important crop and non-crop plants.
Carrion/Burying beetles	Black in color with red markings on dorsal surface of elytra.	They are known to feed on dead and decaying organisms.
Flesh eating beetles/Skin or hide or taxidermy beetles	They have long bodies, can be red, black, or brown in color.	They cannot digest keratin and found upon decomposed or rotten organisms.
Rove beetle	Most common types of beetles. They have short elytra and long abdomen. They are reddish-brown, brown, red, yellow, black, and iridescent green in color	They feed on insect herbivores and scavengers.
Weevil	Most common types of beetles. They have long snouts, can black or brown in color, body is oval or slender shaped	They are pests of crops.
Ground beetle	They are shiny black in color, have ridged wing cover. They make loud popping sound and secretes chemical for defense.	They feed on other insects, larvae, worms, snails, slugs, and plant seeds.
Scarab beetle	They have stout bodies, bright metallic colors and can largely vary in size.	They are scavengers of carrion, dead plants, and animal dungs.
Dung beetle	They are shiny black or brown in color.	They feed on faeces.
Stag beetle	They have large, serrated jaws, can be red, black, brown, or green in color.	They feed on plant sap.
Soldier beetle/leather wings	They have straight bodies and soft wing cases. They are yellow or red in color with brown or black wings	They secrete defensive chemicals and are predators of insect herbivores.
Firefly/glow worms/ lightning bugs	They are bioluminescent insects.	They feed on flower nectar or pollen grains, smaller fireflies, or soft-bodied ground animals.
Squashed beetle	They are often confused with lady bugs due to similar appearance. They are yellow or orange in color with seven black spots on the dorsal surface of each wing.	They feed on gourd or squash plants.
Potato bug/potato beetles	They are orange-yellow colored with ten black stripes on their wing cases.	They feed on potato tubers.
Leaf beetle	They are most common types of beetles. They can be of variety of colors with three spots on the thorax.	They feed on plants.
Hispine beetles/ coconut leaf beetles	They are reddish-brown or black in color with light colored heads and antennae.	They feed on coconut, betel nut, palm, and ornamental plants.
Mountain pine beetle	They are a type of bark beetles. They have a dark black exoskeleton and quarter inches in size.	They feed on bark of trees like limber, pine, white bark.
Japanese beetle	They are native of Japan. They are green or golden in color and very small in size.	They feed on plants.
Hercules beetles	They are a type of rhinoceros beetles. Males have large horns, while females do not have horns. They make huffing sound when threatened. They are rare beetles	They feed on plants.
Atlas beetle	It is named after Greek mythological figure of Atlas. They are very large in size; male have three horns at the anterior region of the head. They are metallic green, grey or black in color	They feed on decaying fruits and vegetables.
Click beetles/elaters/skipjac k/spring beetle/snapping beetle	They are named after their unique clicking sound. They have long and rectangular bodies, black	They feed on plants.
Black caterpillar hunters	They are small with shiny, black bodies and grooved wing cases with red pits.	They feed on larvae and pupae of grubs, flies, caterpillars, and moths.
Tiger beetles	They have metallic colored bodies, curved jaws, bulging eyes, and long legs.	They feed on other small insects and arthropods.
Deathwatch beetles	They are named after tapping sounds made by males, thought to be death omens. They are brown, black, or white in color	They are wood pests, feeds on oak and other wood plants.
Checkered beetles	They are brightly colored, long, or oval shaped with bristly hairs on the body.	They have a variety of feeding preferences.
Blister beetles	They are named after blister forming agent- cantharidin, secreted by them.	They are omnivorous feeders.
Sawyer beetles	They are a type of longhorn beetles. They have long antennae and camouflage with barks of trees.	They feed on pine trees.
Whirligig beetles	They are a type of aquatic beetles. They are named after swimming circles produced by them when threatened. They are oval shaped and brownish-black in color. They have horizontally divided eyes and club shaped tiny antennae	They feed on insect larvae and adult insects like flies.
Emerald ash borer/jewel beetle	They are brightly colored with metallic shine.	They feed on ash trees.
Fiery searchers/ caterpillar hunters	They are a type of ground beetles. They are very small in size.	They are insectivores. They secrete oil that smells like olive oil or rancid milk when threatened.
Green June beetles/ May beetles/ June bugs	They are shiny green in color with green wings and golden sides.	They are pests of a wide variety of plants.

FAQs

Qns 1. Are beetles harmful?

Ans. Yes, they are mostly insect pests of crops.

Qns 2. Are beetles carnivorous?

Ans. They eat a wide variety of food.

Qns 3. Is firefly a beetle?

Ans. Yes, it is a beetle.

Bitopi Kaashyap

Updated on: 15-Dec-2023

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