Beetles

ColeopteraAmarygmus sp Anoplognathus sp Aphanestes gymnopleura Buprestidae Cerambycidae Coleoptera (Beetles) Curculionidae Digitonthophagus gazella Dung Beetle Eretes australis Helea scaphiformis Johannica gemellata (Pandorea Leaf Beetle) Ladybirds (Beetles) Lepidiota Lucanidae Neospades sp Lycidae Omorgus Paropsine Beetle Paropsisterna sp Pittosporum Leaf Beetle (Lamprolina impressicollis) Protaetia fusca Pterohelaeus sp Rhipiceridae Scarabaeidae Xylophilostenus octophyllus

There is estimated to be at least 350,000 species of beetles around the world, with at least 30,000 known species of beetles in Australia, with many more yet to be identified.

The sheer diversity and beauty of beetles, make them a popular insect to study, with a growing number of fans both young and old, including home gardeners and citizen scientists, adding to the body of images seeking identification of the beetle in their photographs.

With a number of publications, apps and online tools to aid in ID of the beetle, sometime it may only get identified down to the genus or suborder.

Beetles belong to the order Coleoptera, which means ‘sheath wings’. Like almost all insects, beetles have 3 body parts: a head, thorax and abdomen. It is their front pair of wings, hardened into wing-cases, known as elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects.

An elytron is from Ancient Greek meaning ‘sheath, cover’; the plural is elytra, is used to describe a modified, hardened forewing of beetles (Coleoptera),