Coleoptera

coleoptera [“hardened’ sheath wing]

beetles, weevils (beetles with a long snout)

360,000+ named species

Kinda looks like Evan

Characteristics (click to expand/collapse)

largest order of insects (animals for that matter) (click to expand/collapse)

	360,000+ named spp. (perhaps ~500,000)
	25% of all named animal species are a beetle of some sort

complete metamorphosis

wings (click to expand/collapse)

	fore (elytra) are hard & meet in straight-line down back, cover abdomen
	hind are membranous, folded under forewing
	elytra provide protection of body and flight wings

mouth is chewing (wood borers) - very damaging $$$

larvae are called grubs and usually have very reduced legs

Forestry Application: (click to expand/collapse)

some act as predators (control agents)

losses in forests by beetles exceeds all other insects (click to expand/collapse)

nurseries - seed & cone beetles

young forests – terminal weevils and root weevils

mature forests – bark beetles

products – ambrosia beetles

can cause significant changes in ecosystems (species composition, hydrology, habitat, energy flows, etc.) ... i.e. a bark beetle outbreak

significant families: (click to expand/collapse)

Scolytidae - bark beetles, ambrosia beetles

Buprestidae - metalic (flat-headed) wood borers

Cerambycidae - long-horn (round-headed) wood borers

Curculionidae - weevils