Content
- How many species of beetles are there?
- Beetle characteristics
- Types of large and flying beetles
- Titan beetle
- Goliath beetle
- Mayate beetle
- Glorious Beetle
- Oriental firefly
- Types of small beetles
- chinese beetle
- vine weevil
- pine weevil
- Types of poisonous beetles
- Cantarida
- Common Oily Beetle
- Types of horned beetles
- Hercules beetle
- rhinoceros beetle
- Pasture choir
The beetle is one of the best known insects in the world, however, there are millions of types of beetles. Each of them has adapted their bodies in different ways and as a result we now have an impressive variety of species. How many types of beetles do you know? Discover several beetle species and their characteristics in this article by Animal Expert. Keep reading!
How many species of beetles are there?
Beetles belong to the order of beetles (Coleoptera). In turn, the order is divided into suborders:
- Adefaga;
- Archostemata;
- Myxophaga;
- Polyphage.
But how many species of beetles are there? It is estimated that there are between 5 and 30 million of species of beetles, although only 350,000 have been described and cataloged by scientists. That makes the beetles the order of the animal kingdom with the greatest number of species.
Beetle characteristics
Due to their diversity, it is difficult to establish morphological characteristics that are found in all types of beetles. However, they share some quirks:
- The body is divided into sections, consisting of head, chest and abdomen;
- Many species are winged, although not all can fly at high altitude;
- have large mouthparts and designed to chew;
- Some species have claws and horns;
- Undergo metamorphosis during its growth, egg, larva, pupa and adult;
- They have compound eyes, that is, in each eye there are several sensory organs;
- Have antennas;
- They reproduce in a sexual way.
Now that you know, in general, the characteristics of the beetle, it's time to introduce you to the different types of beetles.
Types of large and flying beetles
We started this list with the types of large beetles. They are larger species that live in varied habitats. Thanks to their peculiarities, it will be easy to recognize them.
These are some of the large, winged beetle species:
- Titan beetle;
- Beetle-Goliat;
- Mayate beetle
- Glorious Beetle;
- Oriental firefly.
Titan beetle
O titan beetle (titanus giganteus) reaches the impressive size of 17 centimeters. It can be found in the Amazon rainforest, where it lives in the bark of trees. The species has a jaw with powerful pincers and two long antennae. It can fly from the tops of trees and the males make a clear sound in the face of threats.
Goliath beetle
O Goliath beetle (goliathus goliathus) is a species discovered in Guinea and Gabon. 12 centimeters of lenght. This species of beetle has a particular color. In addition to a black body, it has a pattern of white spots on its back that facilitate its identification.
Mayate beetle
Another class of large beetles is the Mayate (Cotinis mutabilis). This species can be found in Mexico and the United States. It stands out for its color, as its body has a very striking bright green tone. Mayate is a beetle that feeds on manure. Also, it is another type of flying beetle.
Glorious Beetle
O goriose beetle (glorious chrysina) is a flying beetle that inhabits Mexico and the United States. Stands out for its bright green color, ideal for camouflage in the wooded areas where you live. Furthermore, there is a hypothesis that the species is able to detect polarized light when its color changes to darker tones.
Oriental firefly
O eastern firefly (Photinus pyralis), and all types of fireflies, are flying beetles. In addition, these species are distinguished by their bioluminescence, that is, the ability to emit light through the abdomen. This species is native to North America. Their habits are twilight and use bioluminescence to communicate between males and females.
Discover the 7 animals that glow in the dark in this PeritoAnimal article.
Types of small beetles
Not all types of beetles are large, there are also smaller species with curious characteristics. Get to know these types of small beetles:
- Chinese beetle;
- Vine weevil;
- Pine weevil.
chinese beetle
O chinese beetle (Xuedytes bellus) is kind of just 9mm found in Duan (China). It inhabits the caves in the area and is adapted to life in twilight. It has a compact but elongated body. Its legs and antennae are thin, and it has no wings.
vine weevil
O vine weevil (Otiorhynchus sulcatus) is a small species that parasite ornamental or fruit-bearing plants. Both the adult and the larvae parasitize plant species, becoming a serious problem. They attack the stem, leaves and roots.
pine weevil
Another type of small beetle is the Pine weevil (Hylobius abietis). The species is distributed throughout Europe, where it parasitizes land with coniferous plantations. It is a species of flying beetle, capable of reaching impressive distances, between 10 and 80 kilometers away.
Types of poisonous beetles
As impressive as it sounds, some beetles are poisonous both for people and for their possible predators, including domestic animals. Here are some types of poison beetles:
- Cantarida;
- Common Oily Beetle.
Cantarida
Cantarida (Lytta vesicatoria) it is a poisonous beetle for humans. It is characterized by having an elongated, shiny green body, with thin legs and antennae. This species synthesizes a substance called cantharidin. In ancient times, the substance was considered to be an aphrodisiac and medicinal, but today it is known to be toxic.
Common Oily Beetle
Another poisonous beetle is the common oily (Berberomel and Majalis), which is also capable of synthesizing cantharidin. The species is easy to identify as it has elongated body and matte black, cut by notorious red stripes.
Types of horned beetles
Among the peculiarities of the beetles, some of them have horns. These are the species that have this structure:
- Hercules beetle;
- Rhinoceros beetle;
- Pasture choir.
Hercules beetle
O Hercules beetle (hercules dynasts) reaches up to 17 centimeters. In addition to being large, it is one of the types of horned beetles, as what is located on its head can measure up to 5 centimeters, but these horns only appear in males. In addition, the species change color according to the humidity level of the ecosystem, under normal conditions, its body is greenish, but turns black when the humidity in the environment exceeds 80%.
rhinoceros beetle
O European Rhinoceros Beetle (Oryctes nasicornis) gets its name from the horn that is located on the top of the head. measures between 25 and 48 mm, being one of the largest types of beetles. Females do not have horns. Both sexes are dark brown or black. It is distributed in several countries in Europe and there are several subspecies.
Pasture choir
O Pasture choir (Diloboderus abderus Sturm) is a large, horned beetle that is distributed in different countries in South America. The species is well known, as this common beetle nests in plantations. The larvae, white and robust, become a crop pest, because they devour fodder, seeds and roots.
