Beetles
Order Coleoptera
1299 speciesThe largest order of insects, comprising about 25% of all known animal species. Beetles are found in nearly every habitat and are distinguished by their hardened forewings called elytra.
Species in this Order
Say's Firefly
Pyractomena angulata
An early-season firefly with amber-orange flashes seen in spring across eastern North America. It is...
Scarce Stag Beetle
Platycerus caraboides
A small metallic blue-black stag beetle with modest mandibles. It develops in red-rotten beech wood....
Scarites Ground Beetle
Scarites subterraneus
A large, jet-black burrowing ground beetle found across eastern North America. Its powerful mandible...
Scarlet Longhorn Beetle
Mastododera coccinea
A visually striking longhorn beetle with bright red elytra and a dark head and thorax. Its long, cur...
Scarlet Malachite Beetle
Malachius aeneus
A small beetle with brilliant red and metallic green coloring. Males have peculiar orange head appen...
Scarlet Minivet Beetle
Lycostomus modestus
A net-winged beetle with conspicuous orange-red elytra featuring a reticulate pattern of raised vein...
Scarlet Net-Winged Beetle
Plateros brasiliensis
A bright red lycid beetle found in the Atlantic Forest region of Brazil. Its vivid coloration is par...
Screech Beetle
Hygrobia hermanni
A medium-sized, reddish-brown water beetle that produces an audible squeaking sound when handled. It...
Sculpted Rove Beetle
Anotylus sculpturatus
A small, stout oxytelline rove beetle with deeply sculptured integument and a distinctively broad, f...
Sculptured Pine Borer
Chalcophora virginiensis
A large North American jewel beetle with deeply sculptured elytra giving a textured appearance. Dark...
Sculptured Rove Beetle
Oxytelus sculptus
A tiny dung-associated rove beetle with a distinctly sculptured thorax and short elytra. It has beco...
Serrate-Winged Beetle
Ptilodactyla serricollis
A small, oval beetle with serrate antennae found in Japan's forested mountain areas. Larvae are semi...
Seven-Spot Ladybird
Coccinella septempunctata
The most common ladybird in Europe. Its bright red coloring with seven black spots warns predators o...
Seven-Spotted Lady Beetle
Coccinella magnifica
A scarce ladybird that lives exclusively in and around wood ant nests. It closely resembles the comm...
Seven-spotted Ladybird
Hippodamia variegata
A small, variably marked ladybird that is an important predator of aphids in agricultural settings. ...
Sexton Beetle
Nicrophorus vespilloides
A black and orange carrion beetle that buries small animal carcasses as food for its larvae. Both pa...
Sexton Rove Beetle
Quedius dilatatus
A broad, somewhat flattened rove beetle found in the nests of social wasps and in tree hollows conta...
Seychelles Stag Beetle
Didimus seychellensis
A stag beetle endemic to the granitic islands of the Seychelles. It lives in decaying wood in native...
Shaggy Rove Beetle
Emus hirtus
A spectacular, large rove beetle covered in dense black and yellow fur-like pubescence, resembling a...
Sharp-Grooved Diving Beetle
Acilius sulcatus
A medium-sized diving beetle widespread across Europe, recognized by the deeply grooved elytra of fe...
Sharp's Rove Beetle
Philonthus sharpi
A medium-sized, metallic-sheened rove beetle named after the eminent coleopterist David Sharp. It is...
Shining Flea Beetle
Asphaera lustrans
A relatively large, metallic blue-green flea beetle with reddish-orange femora. It is one of the lar...
Shining Rove Beetle
Quedius fuliginosus
A sleek, shiny dark brown rove beetle with a smooth, mirror-like pronotum. It is one of the most com...
Shiny Lined Rove Beetle
Xantholinus longiventris
A distinctively elongate rove beetle with a shiny black head and pronotum, and reddish-brown elytra....
Shore Rove Beetle
Philonthus quisquiliarius
A small metallic greenish rove beetle found along pond and river margins in marshy habitats. Hunts s...
Shoreline Rove Beetle
Bledius spectabilis
A burrowing rove beetle that constructs vertical tunnels in salt marsh mud. It feeds on algae scrape...
Short-Winged Blister Beetle
Meloe violaceus
A blue-violet oil beetle found across Europe, often seen walking on paths and open ground in spring....
Short-Winged False Blister Beetle
Oedemera femorata
A dark-colored oedemerid with gaping elytra that do not cover the full abdomen. Males have conspicuo...
Short-winged Firefly
Lucidota atra
A dark-bodied, day-active firefly that has lost the ability to produce light as an adult. It has a b...
Short-winged Mold Beetle
Pselaphus heisei
A tiny rove beetle with clubbed antennae that feeds on mites in leaf litter and soil. Its short wing...
Short-winged Spondylid
Spondylis buprestoides
A cylindrical, entirely black cerambycid that resembles a buprestid beetle more than a typical longh...
Siamese Stag Beetle
Hexarthrius parryi
A large stag beetle with impressive curved mandibles and a dark brown to black body. Males use their...
Sicardi's Dung Beetle
Helictopleurus sicardi
A compact forest dung beetle with a glossy black body and strongly punctured elytra. Males have a sm...
Sicilian Stag Beetle
Lucanus cervus sicilianus
A subspecies of the European stag beetle found on Sicily. Males are smaller than mainland forms but ...
Sidewalk Darkling Beetle
Eleodes hispilabris
A common flightless darkling beetle seen walking desert trails at dusk. Its smooth black exoskeleton...
Silenus Oxysternon
Oxysternon silenus
A large, robust dark green to black tunneling dung beetle with a broad thorax and powerful forelegs....
Silken Fungus Beetle
Cryptophagus lycoperdi
A tiny beetle found inside puffball fungi and in moldy grain stores. Covered in fine silky hairs. Pa...
Silky Chlaenius
Chlaenius vestitus
A medium-sized ground beetle covered in fine silky pubescence giving it a velvety green appearance. ...
Silver-green Leaf Weevil
Phyllobius argentatus
A beautiful green and gold weevil found on the foliage of deciduous trees and shrubs. Covered in rou...
Silver-Haired Tumbling Flower Beetle
Mordellistena argentata
A tiny tumbling flower beetle covered in fine silvery pubescence across Europe. Larvae develop in th...
Simplon Beetle
Nebria cordicollis
A heart-shaped-thorax ground beetle native to high passes in the western Alps. It inhabits cold, exp...
Simulated Jewel Beetle
Castiarina simulata
A small jewel beetle with variable yellow and black banded patterning on its elytra. It is found in ...
Sinuate-horned Dung Beetle
Helictopleurus sinuatocornis
A medium-sized dung beetle named for the sinuate or wavy shape of the male's cephalic horn. Its body...
Sisyphus Dung Beetle
Sisyphus schaefferi
A small, black roller dung beetle with very long, slender hind legs adapted for ball rolling. Named ...
Six-spined Engraver Beetle
Ips calligraphus
A pine-infesting bark beetle found across eastern North America. It is named for the six spine-like ...
Six-Spotted Tiger Beetle
Cicindela sexguttata
A brilliant metallic green beetle with six white spots on its elytra. It is an agile predator common...
Slack Creek Stag Beetle
Lissotes menalcas
A small glossy black stag beetle endemic to Tasmania. Males have modest but distinctly curved mandib...
Sloane's Tiger Beetle
Pseudotetracha sloaneae
A rare nocturnal tiger beetle endemic to inland salt lakes of southern Australia. It has unusually l...
Small Australian Tunneler
Onthophagus parvus
A tiny, brown tunneling dung beetle native to Australia. It is one of the few native Australian spec...
Small Hive Beetle
Aethina tumida
A small dark beetle native to sub-Saharan Africa that is a serious pest of honeybee colonies. It has...
Small Poplar Borer
Saperda populnea
A smaller relative of S. carcharias with yellowish-green pubescence and a row of spots along the ely...
Smokies Synchronous Firefly
Photinus macdermotti
A firefly found in the central Appalachian region that produces slow, deliberate flashes. It is clos...
Smooth Hister Beetle
Margarinotus striola
A compact, highly polished black beetle with fine elytral striations. It is one of the most common d...
Snail Hunter Beetle
Cychrus caraboides
A specialized forest beetle with a narrow elongated head adapted for reaching into snail shells. It ...
Snail-killing Fly Beetle
Drilus flavescens
A brown beetle with soft elytra where males are winged but females are larviform and never develop w...
Snout Ant-loving Beetle
Batrisodes venustus
A tiny, reddish-brown pselaphine rove beetle with a characteristic elongated snout-like head. It inh...
Snout Beetle
Rhinotia hemistictus
An elongated Australian weevil with a remarkably long snout and metallic blue-green coloring with or...
Snow Patch Ground Beetle
Nebria rufescens
A reddish-brown ground beetle found near persistent snow patches. It is among the first predators to...
Snowfield Rove Beetle
Geodromicus globulicollis
A small, cold-adapted omaline rove beetle found at high elevations near snowfields and glacier margi...
Soldier Beetle
Cantharis livida
A soft-bodied beetle with orange-yellow elytra and a dark head. Adults are commonly seen on flower h...
Sordid Dung Beetle
Aphodius sordidus
A small, dark brown to black dweller dung beetle with yellowish-brown elytral margins. It is a cosmo...
South African Glowworm
Lamprigera boyei
A large firefly from southern Africa with larviform females that produce a steady bright greenish gl...
South African Graphipterus
Graphipterus serrator
A flattened, distinctively patterned ground beetle with white and black markings on its broad, flat ...
South American Darkling Beetle
Zophobas morio
A large shiny black darkling beetle widely distributed across tropical South America. Its larvae, kn...
South American Dung Beetle
Oxysternon conspicillatum
A metallic green and copper dung beetle common in Amazonian forests. Males have a distinctive curved...
South American Flower Weevil
Cholus cinctus
A large, strikingly patterned weevil with a black body covered in brilliant turquoise and gold scale...
South American Giant Diving Beetle
Megadytes ducalis
One of the largest diving beetles in South America with a glossy dark olive body. It inhabits large ...
South American Leaf Beetle
Doryphora reticulata
A colorful leaf beetle with a reticulated pattern of black lines over yellow-orange elytra. It feeds...
South American Palm Weevil
Rhynchophorus palmarum
A large glossy black weevil that is a major pest of palm trees across South America. The larvae bore...
South American Tortoise Beetle
Stolas coalita
A moderately large tortoise beetle with a distinctive pattern of dark markings on a lighter backgrou...
South American Weevil
Rhinostomus barbirostris
A large black weevil with a very long, slender rostrum used for boring into palm trunks. It is an im...
South American Whirligig Beetle
Gyrinus ovatus
A widespread whirligig beetle found across temperate and tropical regions of the Americas. It is hig...
Southern Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus frontalis
A tiny dark brown bark beetle that is the most destructive insect pest of southern pine forests. Inf...
Southern Rove Beetle
Philonthus spinipes
A shiny, black rove beetle with distinctive spiny hind tibiae. It is a fast-running predator commonl...
Spangled Ground Beetle
Callisthenes luxatus
A striking caterpillar hunter with dark elytra covered in rows of metallic golden or copper pits. It...
Spanish Copper
Carabus hispanus
A spectacular ground beetle with vivid coppery-red and green metallic colouring. It inhabits souther...
Spanish Copperhead Ground Beetle
Carabus macrocephalus
A large Iberian ground beetle with a distinctly oversized head and copper to bronze-colored elytra w...
Spanish Copris
Copris hispanus
A large shiny black dung beetle with a single curved horn on the males head. It constructs elaborate...
Spanish Fly
Lytta vesicatoria
A slender, metallic green blister beetle with soft elytra. It produces cantharidin, a potent blister...
Spanish Fly Beetle
Berberomeloe majalis
A huge wingless blister beetle with a massively swollen red and black banded abdomen. The largest Eu...
Specious Leaf Beetle
Oreina speciosa
A metallic green or coppery leaf beetle of mountain pastures. It feeds on various alpine composites ...
Speckled Longhorn
Pachytodes cerambyciformis
A small yellow longhorn beetle with variable black spots and markings. It is a frequent visitor to h...
Speonomus Cave Beetle
Speonomus pyrenaeus
A small cave beetle from the Pyrenees known for its extreme cave adaptations. It has vestigial eyes ...
Speyer's Cave Beetle
Aphaobius milleri
A troglobitic beetle endemic to caves in the eastern Alps. It has a convex body shape and completely...
Spider Beetle
Mezium americanum
A globular beetle that closely resembles a small spider in shape and movement....
Spined Bark Longhorn
Acanthocinus reticulatus
A small flattened longhorn with reticulate patterning on its elytra and long lateral spines on the p...
Spiny Longhorn Beetle
Acanthophorus serraticornis
One of Africa's largest longhorn beetles with serrated antennae and powerful mandibles. Dark brown t...
Spiny Oakworm Moth Predator Beetle
Calosoma scrutator
A large, iridescent green ground beetle with violet-blue margins, known as the fiery searcher. It hu...
Splendid Earth-boring Beetle
Bolbocerosoma farctum
A stout rotund beetle with a polished amber-brown body. It digs deep burrows in sandy soil and is at...
Splendid Ground Beetle
Carabus splendens
A dazzling green and gold ground beetle endemic to the Pyrenees mountains. It is prized by collector...
Splendid Jewel Beetle
Buprestis splendens
A spectacularly metallic green and gold jewel beetle found only in old-growth forests. Develops in a...
Splendid Rove Beetle
Philonthus splendens
A large, shiny black rove beetle associated with mammal dung. Found across European pasturelands. An...
Spotted Asparagus Beetle
Crioceris duodecimpunctata
A reddish-orange beetle with twelve black spots on its elytra. It is a pest of asparagus, with larva...
Spotted Brown Rove Beetle
Staphylinus fossor
A large, robust rove beetle with a brown body covered in patches of golden and dark setae. It is a g...
Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Diabrotica undecimpunctata
A yellowish-green beetle with eleven black spots on its elytra. It is a significant agricultural pes...
Spotted Diving Beetle
Graphoderus cinereus
A medium-sized diving beetle with distinctive mottled brown and cream patterning. It inhabits clean,...
Spotted Flower Chafer
Protaetia morio
A matt black scarab beetle with scattered white spots on its elytra. It feeds on flowers and ripe fr...
Spotted Longhorn Beetle
Leptura quadrifasciata
A black and yellow banded longhorn beetle with a tapered body and long antennae. It visits flowers i...
Spotted Tumbling Flower Beetle
Mordellistena pumila
A tiny tumbling flower beetle found on composite flowers in summer. Larvae develop in plant stems. O...
Spotted Willow Leaf Beetle
Chrysomela knabi
A dark metallic blue-black beetle with an oval body found on willows in western North America. Adult...