|
|
Beetles
(order Coleoptera, infraclass Neoptera, subclass
Pterygota, class Insecta, subphylum Hexapoda, phylum Arthropoda, kingdom Animalia)
Beetles are the largest insect order; over 350,000 species of
beetles have been documented. This means that over a quarter of all known
animal species are beetle species. A very large proportion of them,
in turn, are "leaf beetles," those in the Chrysomeloidea superfamily.
Beetles have "sheathed" wings: their forewings have
become protective shells, called "elytra," for their membranous hind wings,
which actually do the flying. This is only one of fourteen identifying
characteristics of beetles, but one of the two earliest characteristics to
appear: beetles have had elytra for the past 285 million years. Their hind
wings, made of membrane and which are folded up under the elytra, are a later
development (245 million years ago), at least for the 90% of beetle species in
the suborder Polyphaga (Grimaldi & Engel,
2005, p. 361). Their hind wings are much bigger than their elytra
forewings, sometimes sticking out from under these covers when flying beetles
land. Do they have trouble folding up their big hind wings? Some
Soldier Beetles do, apparently!
Beetles undergo complete metamorphosis, i.e., they experience
a pupa stage during which their anatomical structure changes dramatically.
Unless stated otherwise, all taxonomic categories on
this page were checked for validity against the contents of the
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Ladybug
Beetles
(family Coccinellidae, superfamily Cucujoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
Almost all Ladybug Beetle species are carnivorous: all those
that appear on this page are. However, it appears that they (as do many
carnivorous species) also include flower nectar in their diets. Both
Ladybug Beetle larvae and adults walk rapidly over the irregular surfaces where
they are most often found; they are often seen charging up one side of a grass
blade and down the other. They often, though not always, find their way to
any aphids in the general area, and process them relatively slowly.
This shows different species of ladybugs that appeared
in my part of the country (north-central North Carolina). Notable in
its absence is the Convergent Ladybug Beetle (Hippodamia convergens). The
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle, on the other hand, is very common and, as
its English name suggests, shows a great deal of intra-species variation, not
simply in color but in size of spots.
Multi-colored Asian
Ladybug Beetles (Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae)
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Asian
Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle, Durham, NC, 4/2/08. |
Durham,
5/3/05. This might be a
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug
(19-spot)
Beetle (Harmonia
axyridis). Unlike native ladybugs, they try to enter houses and become
pests in the process. |
Multi-colored Asian
Ladybug Beetle,
Durham, 9/9/05.
|
Yet another
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle,
Durham, 7/5/05 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Multi-colored Asian
Ladybug Beetle,
Durham, 7/13/06. |
Durham, 11/4/05. This
Multi-colored Asian ladybug
quickly freed itself from this spider web by somehow causing the strand
it was on to lengthen and weaken. |
Asian
Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle,
with what's apparently a small
insect on top. Durham, 6/21/08 |
Asian Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle.
No spots at all! |
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle,
Southern Village, Orange
County, NC, 11/13/07. The spots have just started to come out on this
recent metamorph. |
Multi-colored Asian
Ladybug Beetle
(Harmonia axyridis) larvae
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle (Harmonia
axyridis) larva,
Durham, 6/14/05. This larva showed up on my deck. Pretty big legs! |
Same
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle
larva |
Asian
Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle
larva apparently about to become a
pupa. Haw River State Park, Guilford & Rockingham Counties, NC,
5/30/08 |
Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetle
larva, Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill
Rd. access, Orange County, NC, 6/15/06 |
|
Multi-colored Asian
Ladybug Beetle
(Harmonia axyridis)
pupae
 |
 |
| Asian Multi-colored Ladybug
Beetle, Durham, 6/29/06 (note spiny discarded larval skin at
the bottom) |
Probably
Asian Multi-colored Ladybug Beetle
pupa. Again, note
spiny larval skin). |
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily
Coccinellinae)
 |
 |
 |
|
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coccinella septempunctata),
Durham, 5/7/08 |
Seven-spotted
Ladybug Beetle
(Coccinella septempunctata), Durham,
4/27/07. |
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coccinella septempunctata), Durham,
9/12/05. ID according to
Charles Schurch Lewallen at Bugguide.net. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Seven-spotted Ladybug
Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata) larva,
Durham (edge of marsh at neighborhood swamp), 4/11/09. This plump but
nimble little rascal climbed rapidly over grass plants and other
objects, readily bending in two. |
Seven
-spotted Ladybug Beetle
larva, Duke Gardens, 3/28/07. This larva,
much skinnier than the one on the left, appeared on the steps at the
central terrace. |
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
pupa, Durham, NC, 5/1/08.
Note the relatively smooth cast-off larval skin on the right. An
adult Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
was nearby. |
Ladybug beetle pupa, Mason Farm Biological Reserve
(area north of the creek), 4/28/07. Since there were 10+
Seven-spotted Ladybug Beetle
adults in the immediate area, it seemed likely that this was one, too. |
|
|
|
|
Spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coleomegilla maculata, subfamily Coccinellinae)
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coleomegilla maculata) mating pair, Durham
(neighborhood marsh), 6/18/05. This is the most abundant species by far
in this marsh. |
Spotted
Ladybug Beetle
(Coleomegilla maculata) mating pair, Durham,
NC, 6/17/06, in my neighborhood marsh/swamp. |
Spotted Ladybug Beetle
(Coleomegilla maculata) larva, Durham,
6/23/05, seen on a cattail leaf at the same marsh as the adult
Coleomegilla maculata beetles above. ID based on
Marshall (2006), p. 345. |
|
|
|
|
|
Ladybug Beetle
(Coleomegilla maculata, most likely) Pupae
The sequence in the first row (ordered photos of different
pupae, taken on one or two leaves of the same tree) illustrates the changes
Ladybug Beetle pupae of one species go through. On the left is a new pupa,
with the long, thin shape of a larva and some larva parts still showing.
Later on, as the pupa matures, it takes on the round adult shape and the old
larval body parts outside the pupa's shell disappear.
All of the pupae in the first row showed close to a
swamp in my neighborhood. Although their species is unknown, they are
almost certainly not Multi-colored Asian Ladybug Beetles. To judge from
the species of the Ladybug Beetles seen in this vicinity, I would say they are
most likely
Coleomegilla maculata pupae.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Two views of a
larva becoming a pupa, Durham, NC, 7/5/05. |
Pupa, Durham, 8/6/05 |
Pupa, Durham, 7/15/05. See
the leg sticking out the right side. |
Pupa, Durham, 6/18/05. I
found this sitting on a leaf. This was about a third of an inch long. |
|
Cycloneda genus, subfamily
Coccinellinae
 |
 |
|
|
Ladybug
Beetle
(Cycloneda munda), Duke Forest, Korstian Division,
Orange County, NC, 5/3/06. Thanks to Eric Eaton for genus ID.
|
Ladybug
beetle, Cycloneda
munda, Johnston Mill Nature
Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/4/08 |
|
Psyllobora vigintamaculata (22-spotted
Ladybug Beetle), maybe (if so, Coccinellinae subfamily)
 |
|
Possibly Psyllabora
vigintamaculata, Little Scaly Mountain, Macon County, NC, 8/9/05. ID
based on
Marshall (2006), p. 349. This
beetle showed up at an altitude of about 4100 feet in far southwestern
North Carolina. |
Chilocorus genus, Chilocorinae subfamily
 |
|
| Twice-stabbed Ladybug
Beetle (Chilocorus
stigma),
American Tobacco Trail, Durham, NC, 5/19/08. Alas, a rear view of
this tiny (2 mm) beetle. |
|
Pleasing Fungus Beetles (family
Erotylidae, superfamily Cucujoidea, infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
|
|
| Ischyrus
quadripunctatus, a type of pleasing fungus beetle (Erotylidae family) |
|
|
Snout Beetles
(family Curculionidae, superfamily Curculionoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
There are about 50,000 species of curculionid snout beetles,
also called weevils. They are surprisingly easy to find, especially in
brushy power line cuts. If most species weren't so tiny, we'd probably be
swimming in them -- at least if it weren't for Ambush Bugs, which lie in wait on
flowering plants in brushy areas! Nevertheless, there are some notable
exceptions to the size rule: some weevils are almost an inch long.
 |
| Asian Oak Weevils
(Cyrtepistomus castaneus), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County,
NC, 8/31/07 |
 |
| Weevil, Durham, 6/16/05.
Found on a swamp plant. About ⅛ inch long. |
 |
 |
 |
| Weevil, Durham, NC, 6/17/08 |
Weevil on daisy |
Mating weevils, Penny's
Bend, Durham County, NC, 6/4/06 |
 |
 |
| Billbug (probably genus
Sphenophorus), North Charleston, Charleston County, SC, 3/28/06.
It was much larger than the weevils above, about
¾ inch long. ID thanks to Eric Eaton. |
A very big weevil, Lixus
genus, Lixinae subfamily, Durham, NC, 5/25/06. It was about an inch
long. It showed up near a mini-swamp next to a power line cut. Thanks
to Eric Eaton for ID. |
 |
|
|
| Cocklebur
Weevil (Rhodobaenus quinquepunctatus), Durham, 7/8/08 |
|
|
Primitive or
Straight-snouted
Weevils
(family Brentidae, superfamily Curculionoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
| Tiny weevil (about 2 mm long), North
Carolina Museum of Art outdoor trail, Wake County, NC, 5/8/07. |
Oak Timberworm(Arrhenodes minutus),
a type of straight-snouted weevil . It was about 18 mm
long. ID thanks to
John and Jane Balaban. See more information at the
Forest Pests Oak Timberworm Page.
|
Fungus
Weevils
(family Anthribidae, superfamily Curculionoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
 |
| Euparius marmoreus, Falls Lake SP, Wake
County, NC, 3/1/06. This beetle appeared near the end of a pier. |
Touching the beetle caused it to play
dead briefly, after which it righted itself after some leg-wiggling. |
This shows the characteristic back
pattern of the Euparius marmoreus. |
Soft-winged Flower Beetles
(family Melyridae, superfamily Cleroidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
|
|
| Soft-winged flower
beetle, genus Collops. About 5 mm long. ID thanks to
John and Jane Balaban. |
Soft-winged
flower beetle (Collops genus). Seen in neighborhood marsh.
Durham, NC, 8/23/08 |
|
|
Leaf
Beetles
(family Chrysomelidae, superfamily Chrysomeloidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
Some Leaf Beetles, such as the Colorado Potato Beetles, were
major crop pests because they were imported from outside North America while
their natural predators were left behind. Leaf Beetles in general are far
less common than they used to be as a result of insecticide use. However,
they are still found munching on a variety of weeds and marsh vegetation in my
neighborhood and at least a few other places.
Tribe assignments for Tortoise Beetles are taken from
the
Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station, Auburn University web page.
Most of the subfamily IDs are based on
University of Minnesota's Insects of Cedar Creek.
Tortoise
Beetles
(Subfamily Cassidinae)
There is some controversy about whether this subfamily should
stand alone or be a part of the Leaf-mining Beetle subfamily Hispinae.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Golden Tortoise Beetle
(Charidotella bicolor), Durham, NC, 7/1/07. These
are photos of the same beetle, taken in different lighting. The
"shell" is transparent on the left and reflective on the right. |
Golden Tortoise
Beetle, Durham, NC 9/10/06.
Here the "shell" is transparent. |
Golden Tortoise Beetle(Chariodotella
bicolor, tribe Cassidini, sub-family Cassidinae), Duke Gardens,
7/24/05. It was about ¼ inch long. Thanks to Rob Westerduijn,
Iquitos, Peru for genus and species names. Thanks to Jeff Pippen for the
subfamily ID ID. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Clavate Tortoise
Beetle (Plagiometriona clavata) larva,
Durham, NC, 7/6/07. This insect was about 3 mm long. ID thanks to
Donald S. Chandler. |
|
 |
| Argus Tortoise Beetle
(Chelymorpha cassidea, tribe Stolaini, subfamily Cassidinae ), north
shore of Ocracoke Island, 5/15/05. This beetle was about half an inch
long. Not sure of this ID. |
Leaf-mining
Leaf Beetles
(Subfamily Hispinae)
 |
| Locust Leafminer
(Odontota dorsalis, subfamily Hispinae), Boone,
Watauga County, NC, 8/29/05. The taxon "Hispinae" is valid according
to the ITIS, which lists no genera under it as of 4/3/06. |
Subfamily Eumolpinae
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Dogbane Beetle
(Chrysochus auratus, subfamily Eumolpinae),
Durham, 7/12/05. It was about ½ inch long. These beetles only eat
milkweed and dogbane, so they are not pests. Thanks to Betty Anderson
for the ID. |
Another
Dogbane Beetle, Durham,
7/15/05. |
Mating
Dogbane Beetles, Mason
Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC, 7/9/06 |
Dogbane Beetle,
Daniel Boone Gardens, Boone, Watauga County, NC,
8/9/06 |
Dogbane Beetle,
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC,
6/1507 |
 |
 |
|
|
| Leaf beetle
(Paria quadrinotata, Eumolpinae subfamily), Johnston
Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 5/11/07. |
Might be a
Grape Rootworm
beetle, Durham, NC, 6/30/08. There were a lot of Wild Grape
vines in the general area. |
|
|
Skeletonizing Leaf Beetles
(Subfamily Galerucinae)
Flea Beetles (Disonycha genus,
Alticini tribe)
 |
 |
 |
| Chrysomelid beetle, possibly a
Flea Beetle
(Disonycha genus, Alticini tribe), Durham, NC, 4/19/06. This beetle was
visiting a dandelion. |
Flea beetle, Durham, NC, 7/6/07. A very
tiny beetle. |
Flea Beetle
(Disonycha fumata, Alticini tribe), Durham, 7/5/05. This one was about
¼ inch long. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Flea beetle, (Kuschelina
scripticollis, subfamily Galerucinae), White Pines Nature Preserve,
Chatham County, NC, 4/16/06. The only individual I have seen of this
species. Thanks to Eric Eaton and Mike Quinn at
BugGuide for genus, species names. |
Flea Beetle (Altica
genus), about 2 mm long. Thanks to Rob Westerduijn for ID. |
Flea
beetle (Strabala rufa), Durham, 7/15/05. |
Flea beetles (Trirhabda
bacharidis), Durham, NC,
6/22/07. Genus ID thanks to Rob Westerduijn. |
Flea beetle larva (Trirhabda
bacharidis), North Charleston, SC, 3/28/06 |
|
Spotted Cucumber Beetles
(Diabrotica undecimpunctata, Luperini tribe)
 |
 |
 |
|
This illustrates some interesting
similarities. A Spotted Cucumber Beetle (Diabrotica
undecimpunctata, subfamily Galerucinae), at right, shared flower nectar
with a (mainly carnivorous) ladybug beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) on
7/2/05. |
Spotted Cucumber Beetle,
Durham, NC, 7/29/07 |
Spotted Cucumber Beetle,
Duke Forest, Gate 12, Durham, NC, 9/29/05. |
Ophraella genus, Galerucini tribe
 |
|
| Beetle, genus
Ophraella, Durham, NC, 9/22/07 |
|
Broad-bodied Leaf Beetles
(Subfamily Chrysomelinae)
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Burdock Beetle
(Leptinotarsa juncta, subfamily Chrysomelinae). I
found this beetle munching on a leaf of one of my least favorite weeds
(Horse Nettle). Durham, 9/27/05. Thanks to Eric Eaton for ID. |
Burdock Beetle.
Same beetle, playing dead. Close to looking like a
Colorado Potato Beetle, but no cigar: the broad black stripe and the
thorax markings set it apart. |
Zygogramma suturalis, Durham, 10/31/05.
Thanks to Rob Westerduijn for ID. |
Swamp Milkweed Leaf Beetle
(Labidomera clivicollis),
Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC,
10/9/06 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
| Hydrothassa vittata, Durham, NC, 4/25/07. About 5 mm long, seen on
flowering plant on edge of marsh. Thanks to Rob Westerduijn for
ID. |
Mating
Yellow-margined Leaf Beetles (Microtheca ochroloma, subfamily
Chrysolmelinae), Durham, NC, 5/8/08 |
Chrysomelinid leaf
beetle, maybe Chrysolina genus, Durham, NC, 6/16/08. About 1 or 2
mm long. |
|
|
|
|
Case-bearers, i.e., Cylindrical Leaf Beetles, Warty Leaf Beetles and
Short-horned Leaf Beetles (Subfamily
Cryptocephalinae)
They are called "cryptocephalid" because of the "hidden"
orientation of their heads. Females cover their eggs with their feces, which become a
"case" that the growing larva builds on.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Warty Leaf Beetle
(Neochlamisus
gibbosus, Chlamisini tribe, Cryptocephalinae subfamily), Durham, NC,
5/10/08. Although most insects (and some treefrogs)
seem to mimic dead leaves, this beetle is typically confused with
caterpillar droppings, but only when it tucks its legs under it and lies
motionless! |
Warty Leaf Beetle,
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC, 6/4/08.
You can see that there is some variation in the shape and color with
this species. |
Cylindrical Leaf beetle
(Babia quadriguttata, tribe Clytrini), Durham, 6/2/06. |
Clay-colored Leaf Beetle(Anomoea
laticlavia, tribe Clytrini),
Penny's Bend Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 6/15/07. Family ID
thanks to
Jim McClarin. |
Leaf beetle (Cryptocephalus
quadruplex, subfamily Cryptocphalinae) |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
| Cryptocephalid
Beetle (Cryptocephalinae subfamily), Duke Gardens, 7/24/05. This beetle was about
one inch long
and showed up at the far end of the Asian garden. |
Probably
another
Clay-colored Leaf Beetle,
Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land, Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06 |
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Case-bearer beetle larva, Penny's Bend,
Durham County, NC, 6/4/06. This is an example of the fecal "case"
that gives this subfamily its name. |
Case-bearer beetle larva,
Eno River State Park, Orange County, NC 8/5/06 |
Case-bearer beetle larva,
Durham, NC, 6/20/05. |
Case-bearer beetle
larva, Durham, NC, 6/17/07. You can just barely see the little legs
near the bottom. |
Casebearer beetle larva, Jordan Lake
Gameland, Chatham County, NC, 6/19/07. You can see the little legs on
the bottom. |
Shining
Leaf Beetles
(Criocerinae subfamily)
These have no relation to the Shining Leaf Chafers of the
Scarabaeidae family. These are less than ¼ inch long.
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Criocerinid beetle, (Neolema
sexpunctata), Durham, 7/18/05 |
Criocerinid beetle (Neolema
sexpunctata),
Durham, 7/27/06. Same species as on left.
About 5 mm long. |
Shining leaf beetle (Neolema
sexpunctata), Durham, NC, 7/1/07 |
Criocerinid
beetle, possibly an Oulema cornutus |
Long-horned Beetles
(family Cerambycidae, superfamily Chrysomeloidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
Lepturinae subfamily
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Zebra Longhorn
Beetle (Typocerus zebra), Durham, NC, 5/7/08 |
Zebra
Flower Longhorn Beetle, Haw River State Park, Guilford &
Rockingham Counties, NC, 5/31/08 |
Flower Longhorn Beetle (Typocerus genus,
subfamily Lepturinae), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC,
7/15/06 |
Flower Longhorn Beetle (Typocerus
velutinus, subfamily Lepturinae), Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange
County, NC, 7/15/06 |
Flower Longhorn Beetle
(Strangalia sexnotata, subfamily Lepturinae),
Durham, NC, 9/8/06 |
Cerambycinae subfamily
 |
 |
| Locust Borer
(Megacyllene robiniae, subfamily Cerambycinae),
Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/29/05. The Cerambycinae taxon is valid
according to the ITIS. Species name taken from
University of Minnesota's Insects of Cedar Creek.
|
Locust Borer,
Boone, Watauga County, NC, 8/7/06 |
 |
|
|
|
Longhorn beetle (Ancylocera bicolor,
subfamily Cerambycinae), Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC, 6/9/06. ID
thanks to
Sean McCann.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
Long-horned beetle
(Euderces pini, Tillomorphini tribe, Cerambycinae subfamily),
Eno River State Park, Old Cole Mill Road
access, 4/4/07 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Longhorn beetle (Phymatodes amoenus) |
|
|
Lamiinae subfamily
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Flat-faced Longhorned Beetle
(Aegomorphus quadrigibbus, subfamily
Lamiinae), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 7/30/05. ID thanks
to Eric Eaton and
Dr. Doug Yanega of the University of California at Riverside.
|
Same
Flat-faced Longhorn
Beetle. |
Flat-faced Long-horned Beetle
(Aegomorphus genus, subfamily Lamiinae), Durham, 7/1/06 |
Sumac Stem Borer
(Oberea ocellata, subfamily Lamiinae), White Pines Nature Preserve,
Chatham County, NC, 4/16/06. Eric Eaton ID'd this one too. Confirmed
by
S.A. Marshall (2006). |
 |
|
|
|
Flat-faced longhorn
beetle (Hemierana marginata argens, Hemilophini tribe, Lamiinae
subfamily). ID thanks to
Mike Thomas.
|
|
|
Prioninae subfamily
 |
|
|
|
Brown Prionid (Orthosoma
brunneum, Prionini tribe), Durham, NC,
7/7/08. This beetle looked brown to me. This photo taken at
night, and use of the flash showed that the beetle's body surface
reflects red light, perhaps just as male Mallards' head feathers reflect
green light. I wonder if this is part of the beetle's strategy to
deflect infrared light, since its large body is otherwise vulnerable
to overheating in this hot weather. |
|
|
Tumbling Flower Beetles
(family Mordellidae, superfamily Tenebrionoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
 |
| Tumbling
flower beetle (Hoshihananomia octopunctata). These photos
illustrate the odd head shape (flat on the bottom) and how that head
moves. This beetle was about 5 mm long. |
Tumbling flower
beetle, Durham, NC, 5/27/08, about 2 mm long |
|
Wedge-shaped Beetles
(family Rhipiphoridae, superfamily Tenebrionoidea,
infraorder Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
| Macrosiagon cruenta, Penny's Bend,
6/4/06. Family ID thanks to
Jim McClarin. |
Macrosiagon cruenta, same place and time |
 |
 |
| A very tiny beetle, found on flower at
Raulston Arboretum, Raleigh, NC, 6/9/06. Family ID thanks to
Jim McClarin. |
Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC,
6/9/07. |
Blister
Beetles
(family Meloidae, superfamily Tenebrionoidea, infraorder
Cucujiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
Margined
Blister Beetle
(Epicauta pestifera), Occoneechee Mountain,
Orange County, NC, 8/12/06. ID thanks to
Lynette Schimming.
|
Margined Blister
Beetle,
Mason Farm Biological Reserve, Orange County, NC,
9/1/07 |
Blister beetle (Nemognatha
genus, species probably piazata), Fort Fisher, New Hanover
County, NC, 6/22/06. ID thanks to
Stanislav Krejcik. Confirmed by
BugGuide. |
Blister Beetle (Lytta aenea,
tribe Lyttini, subfamily Meloinae), Durham, NC, 4/23/08 |
|
Darkling Beetles
(family Tenebrionidae, superfamily Tenebrionoidea,
infraorder Cucjiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
Carpet Beetles
(family Dermestidae, superfamily Bostrichoidea,
infraorder Bostrichiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
|
|
|
Varied Carpet
Beetle (Anthrenus verbasci, tribe Anthrenini,
subfamily Anthreninae), 1 or 2 mm long. ID thanks
to
John R. Maxwell. |
|
|
Passalid
Beetles
(family Passalidae, superfamily Scarabaeoidea,
infraorder Scarabeiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
Adult beetles live under rotting logs and chew up the wood so
their offspring can eat it.
 |
 |
| Bess Beetle
(Papilius disjunctus?), Eno River State Park, Fews Ford access,
12/31/05. This beetle was grinding up rotten log material with its
mandibles. The Papilius taxon is valid according to the ITIS. Species
name given by
Encyclopedia Britannica.
|
Horned Passalus Beetle
(Odontotaenius disjunctus), Durham, NC, 7/20/07.
Taken at night. |
Scarab Beetles
(family Scarabaeidae, superfamily Scarabaeoidea, infraorder
Scarabeiformia, suborder Polyphaga)
These beetles perform an essential clean-up function: the
adults move the feces of other animals underground, where they store it as food
for themselves and their offspring.
Currently for this family, the ITIS does not list any
taxa below subfamily for any species assigned to a subfamily. However,
the relevant genus and species names are in common use.
Tumblebugs
(subfamily Scarabaeinae)
 |
| Tumblebug
(Canthon imitator), pushing a clump of dung along
with its hind legs at Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access, 5/29/05. |
Shining Leaf
Chafers
(subfamily Rutelinae)
Researchers at
the U. of Nebraska at Lincoln are doing phylogenetic research on the genera
of the Rutelinae subfamily.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Grapevine Beetle
(Pelidnota punctata, tribe Rutelini, subfamily Rutelinae), Durham,
7/20/07. |
Goldsmith Beetle
(Cotalpa lanigera, Rutelinae subfamily), Durham, 6/29/05. A Shining
Leaf Chafer beetle. Its genus may be changed in the future. |
Rose Chafer Beetle
(Macrodactylus subspinosus),
Indian Creek Trail, a Jordan Lake Game Land,
Chatham County, NC, 7/7/06 |
An unidentified member of the Shining
Leaf Chafer subfamily, Johnston Mill Nature Preserve, Orange County, NC,
6/16/07 |
Japanese Beetle
(Popillia japonica),
Durham, NC, 7/1/07 |
May/June Beetles
(subfamily Melolonthinae)
These common names are used rather loosely, probably depending
on what time of year these beetles show up in a particular part of the country.
 |
| May Beetle
(Phyllophaga rugosa), Durham, NC, 5/2/07.
|
Flower Scarabs
(subfamily Trichiinae)
This subfamily seems to be controversial.
 |
| Channeled Valgus
(Valgus canaliculatus). Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill Road access,
6/23/05. This beetle seems to have an injured leg. ID thanks to
Jim McClarin. |
Bumble Flower Beetles
(subfamily Cetoniinae)
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Bumble Flower Beetle
(Euphoria inda, tribe Cetoniini), Durham, 4/15/05. Note the lamellate
antennae. |
Delta
Flower Beetle(Trigonopeltastes delta),
Durham, NC, 7/8/08 |
Green June Beetle
(Cotinis nitida) in flight, Durham, NC, 7/10/08 |
Green June
Beetle (Cotinus nitida, tribe Gymnetini),
Durham, 8/1/05. These beetles' larvae eat plant roots.
|
Scarab beetle, Penny's Bend
Nature Preserve, Durham County, NC, 6/15/07. It is hard to
classify because of its unusual appearance, but I suspect that it is a
very worn Euphoria inda. |
Mystery Scarab Beetles
(family Scarabaeidae)
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Scarab beetle, Occoneechee
Mountain, Orange County, NC, 3/13/06. On this day a group of them
appeared on the road to the summit of this mountain, and several landed
on my hat. |
Scarab beetle, Ocracoke, Hyde County,
NC, 5/13/07 |
Scarab beetle, Durham, NC, 8/13/07 |
Scarab Beetle, Durham, 7/13/06 |
Scarab Beetle Larvae
(also called grubs)
 |
 |
| Durham, 11/29/05. This grub drowned
during a heavy rain. |
Durham, 1/9/06.
A small grub apparently hibernating. |
Metallic Wood-boring Beetles (family Buprestidae,
superfamily Buprestoidea, infraorder Elateriformia, suborder Polyphaga)
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Flat-headed Pine Heartwood Borer
(Chalcophora virginiensis), Durham, NC,
4/25/06. A fairly large beetle, almost two inches long. |
Buprestid Beetle
(Chrysobothris genus), Eno River SP, Old Cole Mill
Road access, Orange County, NC, 6/23/05. ID help thanks: Eric Eaton and
Dr. Doug Yanega of the University of California at Riverside.
|
Buprestid Beetle (Acmaeodera tubulus),
Durham, 6/2/06. This was a very tiny beetle, looking like a speck
without the camera. Thanks to
Adalbert Goertz for genus and family ID. Confirmed by
Marshall (2006), p. 326). |
Probably a Buprestid beetle, North
Carolina Museum of Art outdoor trail, Raleigh, Wake County, NC, 5/8/07.
It was about 15 mm long. |
Glowworm
Beetles
(family Phengodidae, superfamily Elateroidea,
infraorder Elateriformia, suborder Polyphaga)
|
