Beetles are insects that form the order Coleoptera, in the superorder Endopterygota. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 400,000 described species, is the largest of all orders, constituting almost 40% of described insects and 25% of all known animal species; new species are discovered frequently, with estimates suggesting that there are between 0.9 and 2.1 million total species. Found in almost every habitat except the sea and the polar regions, they interact with their ecosystems in several ways: beetles often feed on plants and fungi, break down animal and plant debris, and eat other invertebrates. Some species are serious agricultural pests, such as the Colorado potato beetle, while others such as Coccinellidae eat aphids, scale insects, thrips, and other plant-sucking insects that damage crops.
The family Scarabaeidae, as currently defined, consists of over 35,000 species of beetles worldwide; they are often called scarabs or scarab beetles. The classification of this family has undergone significant change in recent years. Several subfamilies have been elevated to family rank, and some reduced to lower ranks. The subfamilies listed in this article are in accordance with those in Catalog of Life (2023).
Trogidae, sometimes called hide beetles, is a family of beetles with a distinctive warty or bumpy appearance. Found worldwide, the family includes about 300 species contained in four or five genera.
Scarabaeoidea is a superfamily of beetles, the only subgroup of the infraorder Scarabaeiformia. Around 35,000 species are placed in this superfamily and some 200 new species are described each year. Its constituent families are also undergoing revision presently, and the family list below is only preliminary. This superfamily includes some of the largest beetles extant today, including rhinoceros beetles, (Dynastinae), the Hercules beetle and Goliath beetles.
The Hercules beetle is a species of rhinoceros beetle native to the rainforests of southern Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Lesser Antilles. It is the longest extant species of beetle in the world, and is also one of the largest flying insects in the world.
Scarabaeus sacer, common name sacred scarab, is the type species of the genus Scarabaeus and the family Scarabaeidae. This dung beetle is native of southern Europe, northern Africa and western Asia, and it was venerated in ancient Egypt.
Coprophanaeus is a genus in the family Scarabaeidae. The genus is almost entirely Neotropical, with a single species, C. pluto, ranging into southernmost Texas in the United States. They are medium-sized to large beetles, with the South American C. ensifer and C. lancifer sometimes exceeding 5 cm (2 in) in length, making these two some of the largest dung beetles in the world and the largest in the Americas. They often have a horn on the head, and are typically a bright metallic color, most often blue or green, or black. These diurnal or crepuscular beetles are excellent diggers and good fliers.
Dynamopodinae is a very small subfamily of Scarabaeidae or scarab beetles, with only seven species in a two genera.
Diplotaxis is a large genus of scarab beetles in the subfamily Melolonthinae. There are at least 250 described species in the genus Diplotaxis distributed over North and Central America.
Hoplia is a genus of monkey beetles in the family Scarabaeidae. There are at least 300 described species in Hoplia. These species are found in Asia, Europe, South Africa, Madagascar, and the Americas.
Agrilinus ater is a species of beetle in family Scarabaeidae, found in the Palearctic. It is a mid-successional species of sheep and cattle dung
Cartwrightia is a genus of scarab found in Latin America. It was named and circumscribed in 1958 by Federico Islas Salas. As of 2017, three species are recognized: C. intertribalis, C. cartwrighti, and C. islasi. They can be found in the nests of leafcutter ants or in dung.
Cartwrightia cartwrighti is a species of aphodiine scarab found in South America. Oscar L. Cartwright named the species in 1967 after his brother. C. cartwrighti has been recorded in cow dung in pastures and forests.
Eumolpini is a tribe of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. It is the largest tribe in the subfamily, with approximately 170 genera found worldwide. Members of the tribe almost always have a longitudinal median groove on the pygidium, which possibly helps to keep the elytra locked at rest. They also generally have a subglabrous body, as well as appendiculate pretarsal claws.
Ligyrus gibbosus, the carrot beetle, is a species of rhinoceros beetle in the family Scarabaeidae. Adults are 13–17 mm (0.5–0.7 in) long, dark reddish-brown to black, and larvae are white with a dark head. It feeds on roots, grasses, and decaying vegetation in the soil, and is a pest of sunflowers and other crops.
Typophorini is a tribe of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The tribe contains approximately 100 genera, which are found worldwide. Members of the tribe are mainly characterized by notches on the tibiae of the middle and hind legs, which are sometimes referred to as antenna cleaners. They also generally have a subglabrous body, as well as bifid pretarsal claws.
Patricia Vaurie was an American entomologist who specialized in beetles in the families Scarabaeidae and Curculionidae. She worked in the American Museum of Natural History for much of her working life.
Bromiini is a tribe of leaf beetles in the subfamily Eumolpinae. The tribe contains approximately 120 genera, which are found worldwide. They are generally thought to be an artificial group, often with a subcylindrical prothorax without lateral ridges and covered with setae or scales.
Onthophagus unifasciatus, is a species of true dung beetle native to India and Sri Lanka.
Catherine Lynne Sole is a South African entomologist. She leads the Invertebrate Bioinformatics and Conservation Group (IBCG) in the department of zoology and entomology at the University of Pretoria.
