Facts about Beetle
Some beetles are highly specialized in their diet; for example, the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata) almost entirely colonizes plants of the potato family (Solanaceae).
Many species, including lady beetles and blister beetles, can secrete poisonous substances to make them unpalatable.
Once the egg hatches, the larvae tend to feed voraciously, whether out in the open such as with ladybird larvae, or within plants such as with leaf beetle larvae.
Beetles have hemolymph instead of blood, and the open circulatory system of the beetle is powered by a tube-like heart attached to the top inside of the thorax.
Some scholars suggested that the people's practice of making mummies was inspired by the brooding process of the beetle.
The vast numbers of beetles led to the famous quip, perhaps apocryphal, from British geneticist J.
The larval period of beetles varies between species, but can be as long as several years.
Many beetles are territorial and will fiercely defend their small patch of territory from intruding males.
Ground beetles (family Carabidae) and rove beetles (family Staphylinidae) are entirely carnivorous and will catch and consume small prey such as earthworms and snails.
The bodies of beetles are divided into three sections, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen, and these in themselves may be composed of several further segments.
To foster and provide cover for beneficial beetles, some farmers introduce beetle banks (a strip of grass or perennials that provide habitat for insects hostile to pests).
The study of beetles is called coleopterology; its practitioners are coleopterists.
Beetles and larvae have a variety of strategies for avoiding being eaten.
Beetles entered the fossil record during the Lower Permian, about 265 million years ago.
B. S. Haldane, who, when asked what one could conclude as to the nature of God from a study of his creation, replied: "An inordinate fondness for beetles" (Gould 1996).
Estimates put the total number of beetle species—described and undescribed—at between 5 and 8 million.
Nearly half of all described insect species are classified as beetles, and overall there are about 400,000 known species of beetles—or about one-quarter of all named species in the plant and animal kingdoms.
Beetles can be found in almost all habitats, but are not known to occur in the sea or in the polar regions.
The larva of a beetle is often called a grub and represents the principal feeding stage of the life cycle.
A number of longhorn beetles (family Cerambycidae) bear a striking resemblance to wasps, thus benefitting from a measure of protection.
The extraordinary number of beetle species poses special problems for classification, with some families consisting of thousands of species and needing further division into subfamilies and tribes.
Several species of the dung beetles, most notably the Scarabaeus sacer (often referred to as "scarab"), enjoyed a sacred status among the Egyptians, as the creature was likened to the god Khepri.
Large ground beetles by contrast will tend to go on the attack, using their strong mandibles to forcibly persuade a predator to seek out easier prey.
The bodies of beetles are divided into three sections, the head, the thorax, and the abdomen, and these in themselves may be composed of several further segments.
Haldane himself was a noted atheist and this quote reflects not only the vast numbers of beetles but also Haldane's skeptical perspective on natural theology.
Beetles are endopterygotes—a superorder of insects of the subclass Pterygota that go through distinctive larval, pupal, and adult stages, or complete metamorphosis.
Beetles are generally characterized by a particularly hard exoskeleton, and the hard wing-cases (elytra) that tend to cover the hind part of the body and protect the second wings, the alae.