Beetles are everywhere, and there are a whopping 400,000 different species worldwide! Just in the UK 🇬🇧, there are over 4,000 different species and over 30,000 unique beetles species in the USA 🇺🇸 !!.
You’ll find them chilling on flowers, scaling trees, or just strolling along pathways. And there’s no missing some of them – from the shiny green rose chafer to the striking blue stag beetle.
What is a Beetle?
Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera.
There are 30 different types of beetle, with over 400,000 species within those types.
A beetle is a type of insect known for its hard wing covers called “elytra”. These covers protect their delicate wings underneath. Beetles have six legs and antennae that they use to sense their surroundings.
They come in all sorts of sizes, from tiny ones you can barely see to big ones the size of your thumb. Beetles can be found in various colors and patterns, and they live in almost every place on Earth, from deserts to forests to your own backyard!
They play important roles in nature, like breaking down dead things or pollinating flowers.
The 30 Different Types of Beetle
| Image | Beetle | Scientific Name | Size |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Atlas | Chalcosoma atlas | 25-120mm |
 | Black Caterpillar Hunter | Calosoma sayi | 25-28mm |
 | Blister | Meloidae | 1-2.5cm |
 | Carrion | Silphidae | 9-30mm |
 | Checkered | Enoclerus rosmarus | 3-24mm |
 | Click | Ctenicera pectinicornis | Up to 2cm |
 | Coconut Hispine | Brontispa longissima | 8-10mm |
 | Deathwatch | Xestobium rufovillosum | 7mm |
 | Dung | Scarabaeoidea | 5-50mm |
 | Emerald Ash Borer | Agrilus planipennis | 8.5mm |
 | Fiery Searcher | Calosoma scrutator | 1.4in (35mm) |
 | Firefly | Lampyridae | 2.5cm |
 | Flesh-eating | Dermestidae | 10-25mm |
 | Ground | Carabus intricatu | 0.15 cm-3.0 cm |
 | Hercules | Dynastes hercules | 1.5-7in |
 | Japanese | Popillia japonica | 15mm |
 | Ladybug | Coccinellidae | 0.8-18mm |
 | Leaf | Chrysomelidae | 1-35mm |
 | Mountain Pine | Dendroctonus ponderosae | 6.35mm |
 | Potato | Leptinotarsa decemlineata | 6-11mm |
 | Rove | Staphylinidae | 2-7.6mm |
 | Scarab | Scarabaeidae | 1.5-160mm |
 | Sawyer | Monochamus sutor | 5cm |
 | Soldier | Cantharidae | 8-13mm |
 | Stag | Lucanidae | 1.27-12.7cm |
 | Squash | Epilachna borealis | 7-10mm |
 | Tiger | Cicindelinae | Up to 25.4mm |
 | Weevil | Curculionoide | 6mm |
 | Whirligig | Gyrinus natator | 3-18mm |
 | Green June | Cotinis nitida | 15-22mm |
What is the Lifespan of a Beetle?
Once a beetle has reached adulthood and depending on what species they are, their lifespan will be will be anywhere between 10 days and 6 months.
The lifecycle of a beetle is fascinating and generally consists of four main stages:
- Egg: The journey starts when the female beetle lays tiny eggs. Depending on the species, these eggs can be laid in the soil, on plants, or inside other materials.
- Larva (Larvae for plural): Once the eggs hatch, out come the larvae, which are often worm-like and might look quite different from the adult beetles. This is the primary feeding stage. These little critters can be quite hungry, munching away to gather energy for the transformations ahead.
- Pupa (Pupae for plural): After the larval stage, the beetle enters the pupal stage. During this time, it seems like the beetle is taking a break, but there’s a lot happening inside! The beetle is undergoing a significant transformation. It’s in a protective casing and is reshaping and reorganizing itself to emerge as an adult.
- Adult: Out comes the fully formed adult beetle, ready to start the cycle all over again. The adult beetles will mate, and the females will lay more eggs, ensuring the next generation of beetles.
Take a look below and observe just a few of the many species of beetles that inhabit our planet. Click on a beetle below to find out more information.
The Atlas beetle (Chalcosoma atlas) belongs to the family ‘Scarabaeidae’. The Atlas beetle is found in southern Asia, particularly Malaysia.
They are known as ‘Blister beetles’ because they secrete cantharidin, a poisonous chemical causing blistering of the skin and painful swelling.
Burying beetles (Silpha vespillo), also known as Sexton beetles, belong to the Silphidae family and make up the genus Nicrophorus.
They are known as Christmas beetles because they are abundant in urban areas close to Christmas.
Click beetles belong to the family Elateridae. They are sometimes called ‘elaters’, ‘skipjacks’, ‘snapping beetles’ or ‘spring beetles’
Darkling beetles eat both fresh and decaying vegetation. Major predators include birds, rodents and lizards.
Dung beetles belong to the superfamily Scarabaeoidea. Dung beetles have a diet which is partly or exclusively faeces.
Fungus Beetles (Cypherotylus asperus) belong to the family Erotylidae. The name ‘fungus beetle’ may be applied to several closely-related groups of beetles.
The Green Scarab Beetle (scientific name: Diphucephala colaspidoides (Gyllenhal)) is another beetle belonging to the family Scarabaeidae. This large family of more than 30,000 species has some of the most fascinating beetles in the insect world.
Ground Beetles belong to the family Carabidae. This family of beetles is a large family, with more than 20,000 species worldwide (approximately 2,200 of which reside in North America).
The Long Horned beetles belong to the family ‘Cerambycidae’. They are a cosmopolitan family of beetles and are typically characterized by their extremely long antennae.
The Milkweed Beetle derives its name (tetraophthalmus – Latin for ‘four eyes’) from the curious structure of its eyes.
Rhinoceros Beetles are among the largest of beetles in the world. The Rhinoceros Beetle is aptly named because it has horns on its head, very much like the rhinoceros does.
The spotted cucumber beetle is a major agricultural pest insect. They are found east of Rocky Mountains.
Stag beetles belong to the family Lucanidae. They are a group of about 1,200 species. Stag beetles can be found in Southern and central Europe.
Stink Bugs are generally oval to elliptical in shape and recognized most readily by the large triangular scutellum (plate that fits behind pronotum and between the forewings).
The Sugar Maple Borer beetle, Glycobius speciosus, is a long-horned wood boring beetle. The adult sugar maple borer is an attractive black and yellow beetle about 25 millimetres in length.
A Water Beetle is a beetle adapted to living in water. A number of different types are known, nearly all living in or on fresh water.
Due to the shape of their heads, weevils are commonly known as ‘snout beetles’. The adult weevils have a snout and are about one-fourth inch long.