Beetle
hideAdephaga Archostemata Myxophaga Polyphaga See subgroups of the order Coleoptera
Beetles are the group of insects with the largest number of known species. They are classified in the order Coleoptera (pronounced /ˌkoʊliˈɒptərə/; from Greek κολεός, koleos, "sheath"; and πτερόν, pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing"), which contains more described species than in any other order in the animal kingdom, constituting about 25% of all known life-forms. 40% of all described insect species are beetles (about 350,000 species), and new species are frequently discovered. Estimates put the total number of species, described and undescribed, at between 5 and 8 million. The largest family also belongs to this order—the weevils, or snout beetles, Curculionidae.
Beetles can be found in almost all habitats, but are not known to occur in the sea or in the polar regions. They interact with their ecosystems in several ways. They often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are prey of various animals including birds and mammals. Certain species are agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata, the boll weevil Anthonomus grandis, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum, and the mungbean or cowpea beetle Callosobruchus maculatus, while other species of beetles are important controls of agricultural pests. For example, beetles in the family Coccinellidae ("ladybirds" or "ladybugs") consume aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops.
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News tagged with beetles
Beetles, wildfire: Double threat in warming world
Aug 23, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A veil of smoke settled over the forest in the shadow of the St. Elias Mountains, in a wilderness whose spruce trees stood tall and gray, a deathly gray even in the greenest heart of a Yukon summer.
Cyborg beetles to be the US military's latest weapon (w/ Video)
Oct 15, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of scientists funded by the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) have implanted miniature neural and muscle stimulation systems into beetles to enable their flight to ...
Great Tit Turns Out to be a Killer
Sep 10, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The Great Tit is an aggressive songbird found in Britain, continental Europe, parts of Northern Africa, and much of Asia. It is believed to survive mostly on seeds, nuts, fruit, insects, beetles, ...
Cross kingdom conflicts on a beetle's back
Biology /
Oct 02, 2008 |
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Researchers from Harvard Medical School and the University of Madison-Wisconsin have discovered how beetles and bacteria form a symbiotic and mutualistic relationship—one that ultimately results in the destruction ...
Sexual Encounters of the Third Kind: Darwin's Beetles Still Producing Surprises
Biology /
Feb 06, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- On the eve of Charles Darwin’s 200th birthday, researchers at the University of New Mexico and University of Montana report a new twist in sexual selection theory - the realm of evolutionary ...
What scientists know about jewel beetle shimmer
Jul 23, 2009 |
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"Jewel beetles" are widely known for their glossy external skeletons that appear to change colors as the angle of view changes. Now they may be known for something else--providing a blueprint for materials ...
Ice Cold: Cooler Than Being Cool
Nov 24, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Water expands when it freezes. Anyone who has ever left a can of soda or bottle of water in the freezer too long has witnessed this first hand. So how do plants and animals survive severe ...
Dogs, maybe not, but old genes can learn new tricks
May 11, 2009 |
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A popular view among evolutionary biologists that fundamental genes do not acquire new functions was challenged this week by a new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Research shows why parents are born and not made
Biology /
Nov 03, 2008 |
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Research published today reveals for the first time that the different roles of mothers and fathers are influenced by genetics. The study, by the Universities of Exeter and Edinburgh, shows how variation in where males and ...
Entomologists name 'diving beetle' for Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert
May 06, 2009 |
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"What has six legs and is way cooler than a spider?" asks a riddle on the cover of a birthday card sent to Stephen Colbert by entomologists Quentin Wheeler at Arizona State University and Kelly Miller at the ...
Modified crops reveal hidden cost of resistance
Oct 26, 2009 |
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Genetically modified squash plants that are resistant to a debilitating viral disease become more vulnerable to a fatal bacterial infection, according to biologists.
Lustful beetles desire water, not sex
Mar 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Female seed beetles are known for their promiscuity, a surprising fact given that the males of the species have dangerously sharp spikes on their sex organs. Now a U of T Mississauga team ...
Beetle shell inspires brilliant white paper
Jun 10, 2009 |
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An obscure species of beetle has shown how brilliant white paper could be produced in a completely new way. A team from Imerys Minerals Ltd. and the University of Exeter has taken inspiration from the shell ...
Forest ecologist sees climate consequences
Sep 14, 2009 |
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Many people worry about the link between rising bark-beetle infestations and an increase in western wildfires. But Dr. Susan Prichard, a Research Scientist at the University of Washington, adds another concern: ...
Ice beetles impacted by climate change
Biology /
Dec 02, 2008 |
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In the summer of 1968, Dave Kavanaugh set off on a hike that would change the course of his life. As a second-year medical student at the University of Colorado, he had joined a climbing club with a few members of the biophysics ...
