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
Lord Howe Island Beetle
Anoplognathus macleayi
A scarab beetle endemic to Lord Howe Island with metallic green coloring. It has suffered severe dec...
Loricera Bristly Ground Beetle
Loricera pilicornis
A small, distinctive ground beetle with uniquely modified antennae bearing long bristles. These bris...
Luminous Beetle of Ulu Selangor
Pteroptyx similis
A tiny synchronous firefly found along rivers in Malaysia. Males congregate by the hundreds in berem...
Luminous Click Beetle
Pyrearinus candelarius
A bioluminescent click beetle from South American tropical forests. Its larvae often inhabit termite...
Macleay's Spectre Stick Insect Longhorn
Penthea vermicularis
A slender longhorn beetle with mottled grey-brown bark-like camouflage patterning. It is found on de...
Madagascan Flat Bark Beetle
Passandra boliti
An extremely flat beetle that lives under bark in Madagascan forests. Its compressed body allows it ...
Madagascan Green Lynx Spider Beetle
Trachelophorus cornutus
A close relative of the giraffe weevil found in Madagascar with a shorter neck. Males use their elon...
Madagascan Headlight Beetle
Heteronychus arator madagascariensis
A dark scarab beetle found in Madagascar that is an agricultural pest of grasses. Larvae develop in ...
Madagascan Jewel Beetle
Polybothris sumptuosa
A metallic green jewel beetle endemic to Madagascar with a brilliant iridescent sheen. It is commonl...
Madagascar Tortoise Beetle
Aspidimorpha furcata
A rounded, dome-shaped beetle with transparent margins around the elytra that make it look like a ti...
Madeira Longhorn
Leptura aurulenta
A large flower longhorn with rusty-orange elytra and a black head and pronotum. Found in forests aro...
Madeiran Ground Beetle
Carabus lundbladi
A large, black, flightless ground beetle endemic to the island of Madeira. It inhabits the ancient l...
Maize Weevil
Sitophilus zeamais
A small dark brown weevil with four reddish spots on its elytra. It is one of the most destructive s...
Malagasy Aquatic Beetle
Hydrophilus madagascariensis
A large, shiny black aquatic beetle with a streamlined oval body. It carries a bubble of air beneath...
Malagasy Dung Beetle
Helictopleurus neoamplicollis
A medium-sized, dark-bodied tunneling dung beetle endemic to Madagascar. Males have pronotal ridges....
Malagasy Firefly
Luciola madagascariensis
A soft-bodied beetle with a yellowish pronotum and dark elytra, producing a steady green bioluminesc...
Malagasy Ground Beetle
Graphipterus multiguttatus
A strikingly patterned ground beetle with a flattened body covered in black and white spots. It is a...
Malagasy Leaf Beetle
Chrysomela madagascariensis
A small, rounded beetle with a brilliant metallic green to golden body. It feeds on foliage and can ...
Malagasy Peyrieras's Dung Beetle
Helictopleurus peyrierasi
A small to medium forest dung beetle named after the Malagasy naturalist Andre Peyrieras. It has a d...
Malagasy Rhinoceros Beetle
Oryctes simiar
A large, dark brown scarab beetle with a prominent upward-curving horn on the male's head. Females l...
Malagasy Scarab
Scarabaeus radama
A robust dung-rolling scarab beetle named after the Malagasy king Radama. It has a broad, rounded bo...
Malagasy Stag Beetle
Hexaphyllum madecassum
A medium-sized stag beetle with antennae bearing six leaf-like lamellae, which gives the genus its n...
Malagasy Tiger Beetle
Pogonostoma elegans
A brilliantly colored tiger beetle endemic to Madagascar with metallic green, blue, or purple elytra...
Malaysian Firefly
Pteroptyx valida
A synchronous firefly of Malaysian rivers that creates spectacular congregation displays. It is a ke...
Malaysian Giant Tiger Beetle
Thopeutica virginea
A striking metallic blue-green tiger beetle found in Southeast Asian rainforests. It hunts on forest...
Malaysian Horned Frog Beetle
Beckius beccarii
A peculiar scarab beetle with males bearing two prominent upward-curving horns on the pronotum and a...
Malaysian Jewel Leaf Beetle
Chrysolina coerulescens
A brilliantly metallic blue to blue-green beetle with a smooth, highly reflective surface. It is fou...
Malaysian Trilobite Beetle
Platerodrilus ruficollis
A bizarre beetle whose larviform females retain a flat, segmented larval appearance throughout life,...
Maltese Freshwater Crab Spider Beetle
Akis spinosa
A spiny darkling beetle found on Malta and other Mediterranean islands. It has prominent ridges and ...
Mammoth Cave Beetle
Xenotrechus condei
A rare troglobitic ground beetle known from caves in the Ozark region of Missouri. It is eyeless wit...
Mandibularis Stag Beetle
Hexarthrius mandibularis
One of the largest stag beetles in the world with immense curved mandibles. Glossy black with powerf...
Mango Bark Beetle
Plocaederus ferrugineus
A rusty-brown cerambycid that attacks the bark and cambium of mango trees in South Asia. Adults are ...
Mango Stem Borer
Batocera rubus
A large greyish-brown longhorn beetle that is a major pest of mango trees in South and Southeast Asi...
Mangrove Longhorn
Aeolesthes holosericeus
A velvety brown longhorn beetle found in tropical forests across South and Southeast Asia. Adults ar...
Margined Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus marginatus
A burying beetle with thin orange marginal bands along the edges of its elytra. It is common in open...
Margined Leatherwing
Chauliognathus marginatus
An early-summer soldier beetle found across eastern North America with yellow elytra edged in dark m...
Mars Elephant Beetle
Megasoma mars
A large rhinoceros beetle with distinctive yellowish hairs covering its elytra. Males have a long pr...
Marshalli Flower Beetle
Smaragdesthes africana
A small brilliant green flower chafer commonly found on flowers in open woodland. It is an important...
Marsyas Dung Beetle
Helictopleurus marsyas
A compact, dark-bodied dung beetle that has transitioned from forest to open habitats. It has a smoo...
Mauritius Blue Pigeon Beetle
Cratopus sumptuosus
A colorful weevil endemic to Mauritius covered in metallic green and blue scales. It feeds on the le...
Mauritius Fody Beetle
Cratopus exquisitus
An ornately scaled weevil endemic to Mauritius with iridescent green and copper markings. It is foun...
Meadow Quedius
Quedius curtipennis
A common rove beetle of grasslands and meadows with shortened wing cases exposing the flexible abdom...
Mealworm Beetle
Tenebrio molitor
A dull black-brown darkling beetle best known for its larval form, the mealworm. It is commercially ...
Mealybug Destroyer
Cryptolaemus montrouzieri
A dark-colored Australian ladybird with an orange head, widely used as a biocontrol agent. Its larva...
Mediterranean Drilus
Drilus mauritanicus
A North African drilus beetle with small winged males bearing brown elytra and pectinate antennae. T...
Mediterranean Firefly
Luciola italica
A common Southern European firefly that flies through warm summer nights producing a continuous gree...
Metallic Eumolpine Beetle
Chrysochus asclepiadeus
A brilliant metallic dark blue to violet beetle closely related to the North American dogbane beetle...
Metallic Green Leaf Beetle
Plagiodera versicolora
A small, rounded beetle with shiny metallic blue-green to dark green elytra. It is one of the most c...
Metallic Hister Beetle
Saprinus semistriatus
A small beetle with a metallic blue-green sheen found on carrion and sun-dried carcasses. It is freq...
Metallic Leaf Beetle
Chrysolina polita
A medium-sized beetle with richly burnished copper-red to bronze elytra and a metallic green to blue...
Metallic Wood-boring Beetle
Buprestis rustica
A robust bronze-green jewel beetle with subtle coppery reflections found in coniferous forests. Adul...
Mexican Bean Beetle
Epilachna varivestis
One of the few plant-feeding ladybird beetles, recognized by its copper color and eight black spots ...
Mexican Dung Beetle
Phanaeus mexicanus
A large, metallic green and coppery tunneling dung beetle found from Mexico to Central America. Male...
Mexican Firefly
Photinus mexicanus
A medium-sized firefly from Mexico and Central America with a dark body and yellowish-red pronotum. ...
Miles' Longhorn
Cerambyx miles
A large dark brown longhorn found in old oak forests around the Mediterranean basin, often confused ...
Miniature Water Scavenger Beetle
Cercyon laminatus
A tiny terrestrial hydrophilid often found in compost and decaying plant material. Despite belonging...
Minotaur Beetle
Typhaeus typhoeus
A robust, black beetle where males sport three forward-pointing horns on the thorax. It buries rabbi...
Mint Leaf Beetle
Chrysolina herbacea
A brilliant metallic green beetle that feeds exclusively on mint plants. Its coppery-green sheen mak...
Miyake Stag Beetle
Dorcus rectus
A medium-sized stag beetle found across Japan and Korea, known as 'ko-kuwagata.' More compact than o...
Miyako Firefly
Luciola filiformis
A small Japanese firefly found on Miyako Island with a slender body and greenish-yellow luminescence...
Miyama Sawtooth Stag Beetle
Prosopocoilus dissimilis
An elegant stag beetle found in southern Japan with distinctive serrated mandibles. The species occu...
Miyama Stag Beetle
Lucanus maculifemoratus
A Japanese stag beetle with golden-brown fur on its thorax and elaborate antler-like mandibles. It i...
Miyama Stag Beetle (Korean)
Lucanus maculifemoratus dybowskyi
The Korean subspecies of the Miyama stag beetle, distinguished by subtle differences in mandible sha...
Moellenkamp's Stag Beetle
Dorcus titanus
One of the most widely kept stag beetles in Asia, with powerful broad mandibles. Males show extreme ...
Moellenkampi Beetle
Chalcosoma moellenkampi
A rare three-horned rhinoceros beetle from Borneo with a dark metallic sheen. Males are highly varia...
Mole-nest Rove Beetle
Quedius mesomelinus
A medium-sized, dark rove beetle commonly found in caves, cellars, and the nests of burrowing mammal...
Molossus Scarab
Catharsius molossus
A large, robust black tunneling dung beetle found across South and Southeast Asia. Males have a prom...
Molybdenum Ground Longhorn
Dorcadion molybdaeneum
A flightless longhorn beetle with a lead-grey velvety appearance found in the grasslands of Anatolia...
Monkey Beetle
Hopliini scolioides
A hairy scarab beetle that pollinates flowers in South African fynbos....
Moon-Horned Dung Beetle
Oxysternon festivum
A large, dark metallic green or black tunneler with a distinctive crescent-shaped pronotal horn in m...
Mottled Goliath Beetle
Goliathus albosignatus
A southern African goliath beetle with white mottled markings on dark brown elytra. It is smaller th...
Mottled Longhorn Beetle
Ceroplesis aethiops
A large longhorn beetle with mottled gray and black patterning that provides excellent camouflage on...
Mottled Tortoise Beetle
Deloyala guttata
A small tortoise beetle with variable coloration, often gold with irregular black spots on the elytr...
Mount Hermon June Beetle
Polyphylla barbata
A scarab beetle endemic to sandhills in Santa Cruz County, California. Adults emerge in summer and a...
Mountain Flower Rove Beetle
Eusphalerum alpinum
A small, dark omaline rove beetle adapted to alpine environments, where it visits flowers above the ...
Mountain Ladybird
Coccinella quinquepunctata
A five-spotted ladybird commonly found in alpine meadows and mountain pastures. It is an active pred...
Mountain Leaf Beetle
Oreina cacaliae
A brightly colored leaf beetle found on alpine plants like Adenostyles. Its metallic blue-green body...
Mountain Pine Beetle
Dendroctonus ponderosae
A small dark brown bark beetle that bores into pine trees to lay eggs beneath the bark. Massive outb...
Musk Beetle
Aromia moschata
A large, metallic green or coppery longhorn beetle that emits a rose-like musk scent. Larvae develop...
Musk Longhorn
Aromia bungii
A large and colorful cerambycid with a bright red pronotum and metallic dark blue-black elytra. Nati...
Mustard Beetle
Phaedon cochleariae
A small metallic blue-black beetle that feeds on watercress, mustard and other crucifers. Both adult...
Nairobi Eye Beetle
Paederus sabaeus
A small, brightly colored rove beetle with an orange and black body that produces pederin, a potent ...
Namib Fog Beetle
Stenocara gracilipes
A darkling beetle that harvests drinking water from coastal fog in the Namib Desert. It tilts its bo...
Namib Tenebrionid Beetle
Onymacris plana
A fast-running diurnal beetle of the Namib sand sea. It is one of the few desert insects active duri...
Narrow-bordered Bombardier
Brachinus sclopeta
A Mediterranean bombardier beetle with a narrow body and orange-brown coloring. It shelters communal...
Narrow-mouth Ground Beetle
Abax parallelepipedus
A large, shiny black ground beetle with a distinctive parallel-sided body shape. It is one of the mo...
Narrow-necked Ant Beetle
Dinarda dentata
A flattened, reddish-brown aleocharine rove beetle that inhabits Formica ant nests as a tolerated gu...
Narrow-Necked Cave Beetle
Leptodirus hochenwartii
The first cave-dwelling animal ever scientifically described, in 1832. Completely eyeless and unpigm...
Nebria Streamside Beetle
Nebria brevicollis
A very common European ground beetle often found near streams and in damp habitats. It is active yea...
Nebrioporus Water Beetle
Nebrioporus nipponicus
A small diving beetle endemic to Japan found in clean mountain streams. Part of a genus that prefers...
Nebroides Ground Beetle
Carabus problematicus
A common black ground beetle of northern European heathlands and moorlands. It is an active nocturna...
Neotropical Army Ant Guest
Ecitomorpha nevermanni
A remarkable myrmecophilous rove beetle that lives with Eciton army ants in Central America. Its bod...
Neotropical Firefly
Aspisoma lineatum
A soft-bodied beetle producing a continuous greenish glow from its abdominal lantern organs. It is c...
Neotropical Longhorn Beetle
Callipogon relictus
A large relict longhorn beetle with massive toothed mandibles and dark reddish-brown coloring. It is...
Neotropical Metallic Wood Borer
Euchroma gigantea
The largest jewel beetle in the Americas with iridescent green, red, and purple elytra. It is common...
Neotropical Rove Beetle
Xanthopygus cognatus
A large, strikingly colored rove beetle with a bright orange pronotum contrasting with black elytra ...
Neotropical Scarab Beetle
Coprophanaeus lancifer
The largest dung beetle in the Americas with a striking metallic blue-black body. Males bear a long ...
Neotropical Tiger Beetle
Pseudoxycheila tarsalis
A fast-running predatory beetle with metallic blue-green elytra and large sickle-shaped mandibles. I...
Neotropical Tiger Longhorn
Megacyllene acuta
A wasp-mimicking cerambycid from South America with bold yellow chevron markings on a black body. It...
Nest Rove Beetle
Quedius ochripennis
A medium-sized rove beetle with pale brownish elytra, specializing in bird and mammal nests. It expl...