(COLEOPTERA)

Beetles are an awesome order of insects.  In fact, they are the largest order of insects hosting 166 families and 370,000 different species among those families! That means that of the 1,000,000 insect species that have been described that every one in three is a beetle. 

Beetles make up the insect order “Coleoptera”.  The word Coleoptera comes from 2 Greek words.  “Koleos” which means sheath or shield and “ptera” which means wing.  This refers to the characteristic beetles a best known for…their hard outer shell called “Elytra”.  The elytra which cover the body of most beetles are actually very toughened fore wings.  The elytra cover and protect the larger more flexible hind wings and most of the beetles abdomen. 

This hard outer shell and strong compact body is largely responsible for the success of beetles.  It allows them to squeeze and dig into all kinds of spaces.  They vary enormously in size shape and habit.  Some are as small as 1mm and some are among the largest insects on earth, reaching up to 7” in length and ¼ lbs. in weight.  Beetles have evolved countless different shapes and functions for their body parts.  They are plant feeders, pollinators, predators scavengers, fungal feeders and a few are even parasitic.  They exist and thrive on every habitat an land and fresh water.

The following are some of the common beetles found in the Creepy Crawly Zoo.

(Tenebrionidae)

(genus Eliodes)  are best know for the ridiculous position they assume when running from danger. They respond to trouble by doing a hand -stand. They tilt up at an angle of 45° and point their abdomen at the attacker.  They seem to be doing a hand-stand and for this reason are sometimes referred to as “Butt-head” beetles.  When disturbed or picked up they emit a reddish black liquid from glands that open at the tip of the abdomen that has a foul smell and nauseating effect if swallowed. 

(Tenebrionidae)

These beetles get their name from their very-very hard elytra.  All members in this genus lack hind wings and have their elytra fused together.  They occur in very arid regions and having hard and fused elytra greatly aids in preventing water loss.  Most are fungal feeders chewing on dry-rotting wood and digesting spores. 

Larger members of this genus are sometimes kept as family pets.  Jewels are glued to their backs with a chain.  The chain is pinned to the clothes and the decorated beetle is then worn as a living broche walking freely along the shoulder and lapel.

(Dyticidae - from the Greek word dytiscos "diver")

These are truly my favorites among beetles.  Piranhas have nothing on these voracious predators. They are common but rarely seen because they spend the majority of their lives in water. These beetles are oval and streamlined and common among fresh water habitats.  They have large hind legs fringed with hair called natatory setae.  They use these hairs like people use flippers to increase propulsion when swimming.  They move their legs in unison like oars on a boat.  They visit the surface periodically to renew their air supply.  They store air in a special chamber underneath their elytra like a fountain pen holds ink. Males of this family are recognizable by the suction cups on their front pair of legs.  These suction cups are used for gripping onto the elytra of females during mating.

Even the larvae of these beetles are predacious and are known as water tigers.  Both larvae and adult feed on other aquatic insects, tadpoles, small fish and even a small turtle from time to time. The larvae lie in wait near the waters surface and catch their prey with two large pincers.

(scarbaeidae) (see video)

No animal on earth has been so revered and worshiped through out human history as the scarab beetle.  It is considered a symbol of creation, of life, fertility and resurrection. So-called "pendants" in the shape of beetles have been found as early as from the late Paleolithic epoch (10,000 to 20,000 years ago). Not only primitive shamanic societies but the highly evolved societies of the Greeks and the Egyptian as well all saw this beetle as the creator of life.  The Egyptians are probably best known for their worship of scarab beetles. Colossal carvings have been found  in the tombs of many a pharaoh.  The Egyptians even had a self created deity named Khepri who took the form of a dung beetle and known to push the ball of the sun across the sky each day from east to west.

You may ask why was this beetle so important and so loved?  The answer is simple…. Because they ate Poo Poo!

(tenibrionidae)

You may wonder what mealworms are doing in the beetle section.  Most of us are only familiar with mealworms from the pet store, which are commonly sold as feed for lizards, birds and fish.  Mealworms are actually the larval stage of a beetle closely related to the Stink Beetles.  Adults will often release a noxious chemical to ward off predators, which tastes and smells nasty and cannot be fed to lizards or other pets.  The larvae however, are of great economic value in that they are major pests of stored grain and flour and are often very destructive. They are also commonly raised and sold by the millions to the pet industry.  They are food for all sorts of animals and honestly, they taste just fine.  Yes, I am saying that people can eat them too!  There are many fine recipes available on the web for mealworms.  Before you go off eating mealworms there are some things you should be aware of …. If you are allergic to chocolate, seafood or nuts you should not eat insects.  Many of the same proteins found in these foods you will find in insects.

BACK TO INSECTS