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Beetles (order Coleoptera)
are one of the main groups of insects. The order has more species
in it than any other order in the entire animal kingdom. 40% of
all insect species are beetles (about 350,000 species), and new
species are regularly discovered. The forewings of beetles are
transformed into hard shells, called elytra. These elytra form
an armour protecting the abdomen and the sensitive hindwings.
The forewings are not used (at least not actively flapped) in
flying, but they must (in most species) be raised in order to
move the hindwings. After landing the hindwings are folded below
the elytra. Most beetles can fly, but few reach the dexterity
of some other groups, e.g. flies, and many species only fly if
absolutely necessary. Some beetles have elytra that have grown
together and cannot fly at all; a few have lost their wings altogether.
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Some beetle larvae
(young) are leaf miners. Beetles can be found in almost all biomes,
but are not known to occur in the sea or in the polar regions.
Beetles are endopterygotes with complete metamorphosis. The larva
of a beetle is called a grub. When J. B. S. Haldane, a British
geneticist, was asked what his studies of nature revealed about
God, he replied, "An inordinate fondness for beetles."
The study of beetles is called coleopterology, and its practitioners
coleopterists. See list of notable coleopterists.
Pictures 1 Through 7 Come From The U.S. Fish &
Wildlife Service
Pictures 8 Through 30 Come from The U.S.D.A.
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