Beetles (Coleoptera)

The present era could with some justification be called the ‘Age of the Beetles.’ Members of the order Coleoptera comprise the largest order of life. One out of every five species of living things on Earth is a beetle. No one knows precisely how many beetle species have been described, but estimates start at 250,000. Beetles live in almost every habitat where insects are found but do not come to the attention of the layperson as often as members of some other orders which are more conspicuous by virtue of their size or habits. The majority of beetles are capable of flight and some fly quite well, but none has adopted the truly aerial lifestyle of butterflies and dragonflies. Most spend the greater part of their lives in cryptic habitats – under bark and in dead wood, in soil and leaf litter, in the water of ponds, lakes, and streams. Although some beetles are among the largest insects, most are quite small; indeed, some are among the smallest of insects

Nevertheless, beetles are...