Form and function

Adult features

Many structural modifications are found among the beetles. So varied is the structure that it is difficult to make general statements; for example, a few beetles have no elytra, and some have no wings.

As in all adult insects, the segmented body consists of three primary body regions: head, thorax, and abdomen. In beetles, however, two of the three thoracic segments (mesothorax and metathorax) are attached to the abdomen; the third (prothorax), isolated as the region between the head and trunk, is covered by a dorsal plate, the pronotum. The body covering (exoskeleton) varies from very horny and rigid to soft and flexible, but it usually consists of hard plates (sclerites) separated by flexible membranes.

The antennae are usually 11-segmented but vary widely in form. The jaws (mandibles) may be relatively large, in some as long as the rest of the body, or almost completely absent; usually they are triangular in shape and suitable for biting or chewing. The paired maxillary and labial palps are usually small and are used for feeding or handling food, but in some beetles one or the other pair may be greatly enlarged. The compound eyes are usually prominent but are sometimes reduced or absent and occasionally divided. Simple eyes (ocelli) are rarely present. A neck is sometimes evident, but in many beetles the head is recessed into the prothorax or under the pronotum.

The prothorax is generally very distinct; the mesothorax and metathorax are hidden under the elytra along with most of the abdomen. The pronotum may be four-sided very wide or very long and sculptured with lateral spines or dorsal grooves and pits. The front legs emerge from cavities in the underside that may be confluent or separated by other parts. The mesothoracic spiracle (respiratory opening) is often visible just behind the base of the front legs. The mesothorax bears the elytra (wing covers) and the second pair of legs. The metathorax bears the flying wings (hindwings) and the third pair of legs.

The legs are modified in various ways, for running, swimming, jumping, digging, or clasping. In some beetles, wings are not capable of producing flight, but in many others, they are powerful and sustain strong flight.

The abdomen is composed of 9 or 10 segments, but often some of these are not externally visible. From five to eight segments can usually be seen, with short apical appendages evident in some beetles. Each abdominal segment has a pair of spiracles, the openings into the air-tube (tracheal) system. Predatory beetles generally have short digestive tracts. Differences in salivary glands occur, depending on the food source.

Larval features

Coleoptera larvae differ in appearance from adults. This is characteristic of insects with complete metamorphosis (Endopterygota), in which the wings develop internally until they become apparent in the pupal stage. The differences in body form of the larvae are closely associated with larval habitats and modes of feeding. The numerous predatory types, for example, have slender or gradually tapered bodies, with large, slender mandibles, and relatively long legs; thus, these larvae are adapted to be rapid runners that capture and hold prey with their mandibles. A mouthpart structure (epipharynx) may be adapted for imbibing body fluids that exude from wounds caused by the mandibles. Typical predatory larvae are found in the dytiscids (predacious water beetles) and carabids (ground beetles). The larvae of tiger beetles (Cicindelinae), although similar to the dytiscid type, live in holes in the ground or in branches and capture passing insects. The enlarged head of the tiger beetle larva fills the burrow opening, and its legs are modified for attachment and leverage. Haliplid, staphylinid, and gyrinid larvae are also similar to those of dytiscids, except that the gyrinids have a gill on the side of each abdominal segment rather than at the tip of the abdomen, as do most of the others. Some predatory larvae are generally less tapered, are sometimes less armoured, and have shorter appendages than do the dytiscids—e.g., larvae predatory on other larvae in deadwood or in the ground. Larvae such as those of the Histeridae (hister beetles), which usually live in special environments such as dung and tunnels in wood, have short appendages but slender mandibles.

Another larval type includes many of the scavengers—e.g., silphids, hydrophilids. These larvae have short legs and mandibles.

Wood-feeding borer larvae (cerambycid and buprestid type) have soft white bodies that may be cylindrical or flattened. The thoracic region of buprestids is flat and broad; the head is dark and retracted in the thorax; and the mandibles are short and stout. Larvae of wood-boring beetles usually have yeast associated with the digestive tract that helps to convert wood to digestible compounds.

Larvae that feed on leaves, stems, and roots (chrysomelid type) are short and oval shaped. Coccinellid larvae are similar in form except for longer legs, and they prey on soft-bodied insects like aphids.

The lamellicorn larval type is C-shaped, has a soft body, and has a hard, dark, nonretractile head. These larvae usually are found in protected habitats, where they feed on roots, rotten wood, or excrement. Weevil larvae have a similar form, although the head may be a little smaller and the body less arched. Another larval type is that of the elaterids and many tenebrionids, which have very slender usually brown bodies, with a hard outer skeleton.