elytra

…modified into horny covers (elytra) that hide the rear pair and most of the abdomen and usually meet down the back in a straight line. Coleoptera occur in nearly all climates. They may be divided into four groups: the first three, the Archostemata, the Adephaga, and the Myxophaga, contain…

…beetles (Staphylinidae) have very short elytra and a slender abdomen. Soldier beetles (Cantharidae), fireflies (Lampyridae), and net-winged beetles (Lycidae) have soft elytra.

…a few beetles have no elytra, and some have no wings.

…hard and brittle, are called elytra and usually serve only as protective covers. A few beetles have greatly reduced wings. Variations in the structure of the first abdominal segment is one criterion used to separate the various suborders of Coleoptera; the hind coxal leg segments (by which the legs are…

…they consist mostly of isolated elytra, which reveal little about the history of the order. Complete fossil specimens are closely related to living forms. The evolution of elytra may have been associated with the habit of living under the bark of trees, where protection for flying wings is required. Most…

…the adult except that the elytra are represented by pads on the exterior of the body; the colour, generally white, is sometimes pale brown or patterned. As the time for emergence of the adult approaches, the pupa may darken, especially the mandibles and eyes. After emerging from the pupal skin,…

The short, thick elytra protect the second, fully developed pair of flying wings. These functional wings can be unfolded rapidly from under the elytra when the beetle is ready for flight. They must be refolded carefully after use, however, often with the aid of both the abdomen and…

In some species the elytra (wing covers) cover the abdomen, while in others the tip of the abdomen is exposed. The picnic beetle (Glischrochilus fasciatus), a common North American species, is shiny black with two yellow-orange bands across the elytra.