Types of Beetles – Amazingly, there are over 350,000 types of beetles found across the world making up the biggest group of insects in the animal kingdom.
These are a species that are found in virtually every type of habitat except for Polar regions or the sea. Most are predators, some are parasites and others are scavengers.
Types of Beetles
Below are the 10 most popular types of beetles.
1. Stag Beetles
There are 1,200 species of stag beetles in the world. They many appear a bit fierce but they are rarely aggressive toward humans. Male stags fight over females and all stags will fight over decaying fruit or tree sap.
2. Click Beetles
These types of beetles possesses a special mechanism allowing them to violently launch several inches in the air. They make up for about 7,000 species and they are all nocturnal creatures. Click beetles are usually gray or brown but some are quite colorful.
3. Ground Beetles
Worldwide there are 22,000 species of these types of beetles. They vary in shape and although the majority are black or dark brown, there are tropical species that are metallic green, purple or multi-colored. They feed on various insects, most of which are garden or house pests and generally are appreciated by farmers.
4. Dung Beetles
There are approximately 5,000 of these species and they feed either partially or exclusively on animal feces. Many species are known as rollers and roll their dung into balls that are used for brooding chambers or as a food source.
Some are burrowers that tunnel dung where they find it and a third group doesn’t tunnel, or burrow but instead, lives in the manure.
5. Lady Beetles
These beetles are more commonly known as lady bugs and easy to spot due to their bright colors and spotted elytra. They are usually shiny red, black or orange with yellow, red or black markings. Although most are harmless, the Asian lady bug does bite.
6. Red Milkweed Beetles
These types of beetles are from the long-horned family. They have very long antennae that are placed quite close to their eyes. Red milkweed beetles are one of the few species of insects that can feed safely on milkweed.
Similar to Monarch butterflies, they store organisms from the milkweed that makes them very distasteful. A bird or other predator will almost always vomit after consuming one.
7. Soldier Beetles
There are around 3,500 species of soldier beetles. They are found in abundance in the late summer, usually feeding on nectar and pollen from pretty much any flowering plant. Adults of these types of beetles are predators and enjoy eating caterpillars, aphids, eggs and other insects.
8. Japanese Beetles
These beetles are oval shaped and have a bright metallic green body with either reddish-orange or brown elytra and their abdomen has patches of white hair. These are distinct and not another beetle looks like them.
They are slowly spreading through the United States since they were brought over in 1916 with roots from imported Iris. They feed on 300 types of plants including poison ivy.
9. June Beetles
Commonly called the June bug, these are stout beetles with fairly large heads. They are nocturnal and many are scavengers that recycle decaying vegetable matter, carrion and dung. June beetles can also be known to attack plants and vegetables such as lettuce, strawberries, raspberries and young ornamental trees.
10. Firefly Beetles
These types of beetles are often referred to as lightening bugs. They are one of the most popular bugs due to the light they give off in the dark. Very little heat is radiated from this light so it requires little energy to produce. The light is used quite simply to attract their mate.
While many types of beetles are considered pests, causing harm sometimes to crops and infesting food, beetles are very beneficial. They play a very important role in returning organic matter to contribute to soil fertility.
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