Ground beetles are a large, cosmopolitan family of beetles, the Carabidae, with more than 40,000 species worldwide, around 2,000 of which are found in North America and 2,700 in Europe. As of 2015, it is one of the 10 most species-rich animal families. They belong to the Adephaga. Members of the family are primarily carnivorous, but some members are herbivorous or omnivorous.
Harpalinae is the largest subfamily of ground beetles, containing more than 19,000 species worldwide.
Dynastinae or rhinoceros beetles are a subfamily of the scarab beetle family (Scarabaeidae). Other common names – some for particular groups of rhinoceros beetles – include Hercules beetles, unicorn beetles or horn beetles. Over 1,500 species and 225 genera of rhinoceros beetles are known.
Zopherinae is a subfamily of beetles, commonly known as ironclad beetles. Together with the subfamily Usechinae, they have been treated historically as a family, but have recently been joined by several additional taxa, making the Zopheridae a much larger composite family, and the Zopherinae are now only a small component within it, consisting of seven genera in the tribe Zopherini and one, Phellopsis in its own tribe (Phellopsini).
Cryptophagidae is a family of beetles with representatives found in all biogeographic realms. Members of this family are commonly called silken fungus beetles and both adults and larvae appear to feed exclusively on fungi although in a wide variety of habitats and situations, such as rotting wood and shed animal fur and feathers. These beetles vary from about 1 to 11 millimeters long, and usually have an oval body shape with a slight "waist".
Hippodamia is a genus of ladybirds in the family Coccinellidae. It includes the most common native North American "ladybug", H. convergens, which can form overwintering aggregations numbering in the millions. Another notable member is Hippodamia variegata, which occurs widely over both the North and South Hemispheres.
Melolonthinae is a subfamily of the scarab beetles. It is a very diverse group; distributed over most of the world, it contains over 11,000 species in over 750 genera. Some authors include the scarab subfamilies Euchirinae and Pachypodinae as tribes in the Melolonthinae.
Agabus is a large genus of predatory aquatic beetles in the family Dytiscidae, proposed in 1817 by William Elford Leach and named after Agabus, an early follower of Christianity. The adult beetles are moderate-sized, 5 to 14 mm long. The genus is primarily Holarctic in distribution, with only a few species known from the Afrotropical and Neotropical realms. Three species of Agabus, namely A. clypealis, A. discicollis and A. hozgargantae are endangered according to the IUCN Red List. The division into subgenera is not widely accepted. However, a number of species groups are recognized after the works of David J. Larson and Anders N. Nilsson. The genus is probably polyphyletic or paraphyletic. In a recent study of mitochondrial DNA, Agabus was found paraphyletic with respect to several of the species groups of Platambus, a closely related genus in the tribe Agabini. Lately the taxonomy of the genus has been revised, and some groups of species were transferred from Agabussensu stricto to other genera in the tribe Agabini.
Donacia is a large genus of aquatic leaf beetles in the subfamily Donaciinae. Like other members of that subfamily, the beetles have long antennae. They are active and able to fly. Larvae feed on submerged portions of aquatic plants, such as water lilies, and breathe oxygen from plant vessels. Adults live on surface parts of the same plants.
Silvanidae, "silvan flat bark beetles", is a family of beetles in the superfamily Cucujoidea, consisting of 68 described genera and about 500 described species. The family is represented on all continents except Antarctica, and is most diverse at both the generic and species levels in the Old World tropics.
Dicerca is a genus of beetles in the family Buprestidae. It contains the following species:
Labidomera is a genus of leaf beetles.
Trichiotinus is a genus of fruit and flower chafers in the family Scarabaeidae. There are about 8 described species in Trichiotinus, all native to the New World.
Plateumaris is a genus of aquatic leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. There are about 17 described species in Plateumaris.
Pytho is a genus of dead log beetles in the family Pythidae. There are about nine described species in Pytho.
Sericoda quadripunctata is a species of ground beetle in the family Carabidae. It is found in Europe and Northern Asia and North America.
Trirhabda is a genus of skeletonizing leaf beetles in the family Chrysomelidae. There are more than 30 described species in Trirhabda. They are found in North America and Mexico.
Thanatophilus is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae. There are about 12 described species in Thanatophilus.
Oryctini is a tribe of beetles in the Dynastinae.
A pyrophile or pyrophilic/pyrophilous insect is an insect which has evolved to rely upon fire ecology for important parts of their life cycle. Pyrophiles usually occur alongside and co-evolve with pyrophytes, the plant analog of a pyrophilic insect - those plants which rely upon natural fires as part of their lifecycle.
