We live on the ‘Planet of the Beetles’! Beetles (which belong to the insect order Coleoptera, meaning sheath-winged) have lived on Earth since long before the age of the dinosaurs. There are over 370,000 known species of beetle and they are found in every land and freshwater habitat in the world. Beetles typically use just their hind-wings for flying: the front pair are modified as hard wing-cases, which cover and protect the flight wings when the beetle is at rest. Like many other insects, beetles undergo a complete metamorphosis in their life-cycles and the immature larvae look very different from the adults. In the UK alone there are over 4000 beetle species belonging to over 100 families, so the examples illustrated in this Beetle Gallery are just a small selection from the huge variety of British beetles.
Rove beetle
Staphylinus erythropterus – (family Staphylinidae)
Rove beetles are characterized by having greatly shortened wing-cases with their flying wings much-folded underneath. This gives them narrow flexible bodies that allow them to chase their prey rapidly through complex spaces such as densely matted grass. Staphylinus erythropterus is common on heaths and moors, especially in the north, but is more often seen conspicuously crossing paths and other open spaces. Rove beetles are very successful: over a quarter of Britain’s beetle species belong to this family.
Black-tipped soldier beetle
Rhagonycha fulva – (family Cantharidae)
This is probably the commonest British soldier beetle and the adults are found later than other species, in July and early August. It is usually seen on flowers where it feeds on nectar and pollen, but also robs and eats other flower-visiting insects: it can also very often be seen mating. Although it is completely harmless to humans, children’s folklore refers to this and other soldier beetles as ‘bloodsuckers’.
Black-headed cardinal beetle
Pyrochroa coccinea – (family Pyrochroidae)
This distinctively-coloured cardinal beetle has a somewhat flattened shape and comb-like antennae. The adults are usually found on flowers near the edges of woods. The carnivorous larvae live underneath dry bark, where they eat other insects – or each other.
Longhorn beetle
Rhagium mordax – (family Cerambycidae)
Some longhorn beetles do not have particularly long antennae – this species is one of them. Rhagium mordaxis a common species in the early summer, when the adults are often seen on hawthorn and hogweed flowers. The larvae tunnel and feed in soft well-rotted dead wood of broad-leaved trees.
Ground beetle
Agonum assimile – a ground beetle (family Carabidae)
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One of the many British ground beetles (though not all of the 370 or so species actually live on or under the ground). This quite common species is most often found under the bark of decaying wood in shady woodland. Like most ground beetles, it is a predator on other insects.
Click beetle
Ampedus sanguinolentus (family Elateridae)
These beetles get their common name from the distinctive click that they make as they propel themselves into the air (as shown here) with a special mechanism that uses powerful muscles in the thorax. Their larvae have a long thin body and are often called ‘wireworms’, some of which are pests in fields or gardens because they damage plant roots.
Banded pill beetle
Byrrhus fasciatus – (family Byrrhidae)
This pill beetle is one of the very few insects that eats moss. It is a slow-moving beetle but it has an effective defence from attack: it can withdraw its legs and antennae into special grooves on the underside of its body, making it difficult for a predator to get a grip. When it is folded up in this way, it can also be difficult for predators to find because it looks like a rabbit dropping!
Soldier beetle
Cantharis pellucida – (family Cantharidae)
Soldier beetles are so-called because they are slender and straight, and often have red, black, blue or yellow colouring reminiscent of regimental uniforms. Cantharis pellucida is a common species, though the adults are seen only for a rather short period in early summer. They sit on flowers, waiting for other flower-visiting insects on which they prey, but also feeding on pollen and nectar themselves. The velvety larvae are predators found in grass litter in the spring and late summer.
Violet ground beetle
Carabus violaceus – (family Carabidae)
This is one of the largest of British ground beetles. It is widespread in the UK: it is especially associated with wooded areas, but is also commonly found in gardens. Like most ground beetles it is a nocturnal predator and often spends the daytime hidden under stones or logs. Ground beetles are fast runners, using speed to catch their insect prey.
Rose chafer
Cetonia aurata – (family Scarabaeidae)
This typically metallic-green chafer is on the wing – rather noisily – in midsummer, and is usually seen feeding on flowers. This species is restricted to southern areas of Britain and is not found north of the English Midlands, though a similar bronze-coloured relative is found in Scotland. The larvae live in decaying plant material such as compost, peat and rotten wood.
Green tiger beetle
Cicindela campestris – (family Cicindelidae)
Tiger beetles are closely related to ground beetles but, unlike ground beetles, they always fly away when disturbed. They are mainly found in areas with sandy soils. The larvae live in burrows and wait for prey passing close to the mouths of their burrows: the adults are very fast runners. The distinctively-coloured green tiger beetle is the commonest member of the group in the UK.
Sulphur beetle
Cteniopus sulphureus – (family Alleculidae)
The very distinctive sulphur beetle is the only bright yellow beetle found in the UK. The adults live in flowers, where they feed on nectar and pollen. The species is usually only found in very dry places such as chalk or sandy grassland in the south of England, and is mainly restricted to coastal sand dunes in northern England. This family of beetles is closely related to the Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles) and is sometimes classified as a subfamily of the Tenebrionidae.
Acorn weevil
Curculio glandium – (family Curculionidae)
All weevils have a snout (known as a ‘rostrum’) with the mouthparts at the end, and this acorn weevil has the most strongly-developed snout of all British weevils. The species spends most of its life as a white larva that hollows out the kernels of acorns. The adults are active in midsummer and are quite commonly seen at the edges of oak woodland.
Spangled water beetle
Graphoderus zonatus – (family Dytiscadae)
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Like all dytiscid diving beetles, the spangled water beetle is predatory on other aquatic animals, including tadpoles, and can swim fast with its broadened hind legs and its streamlined shape. However, Graphoderus zonatus is a protected species in Britain since it is extremely rare and is now known at only one wet heathland pool in Hampshire.
Lily beetle
Lilioceris lilii – lily beetle (family Chrysomelidae)
Many chrysomelid leaf beetles are brightly coloured and metallic. One of the most striking is the bright red lily beetle. This species was only sporadically found in UK until the mid-20 th century when it became established. In recent years it has been expanding its range in Britain and has become a serious horticultural pest of lilies and fritillaries.
Shining spider beetle
Mezium gibbum – (family Ptinidae)
As their common name suggests, ptinid beetles have the appearance of small spiders. The peculiar-looking Mezium gibbum has very shiny translucent wing-cases that resemble a bead of condensation. Although it is usually found indoors feeding on accumulations of dust and fluff, its natural habitat is in mammal and bird nests where it feeds on hair and feathers.
Thick-legged flower beetle
Oedemera nobilis – (family Oedemeridae)
This spectacular metallic-green beetle is usually seen on flowers. Only the male – seen here – has the characteristic thickened hind ‘thighs’ (femora). This species is common in gardens and grassland, and in open spaces in woods, in the south, but is more often found in coastal areas in the north of the country. The larvae feed and develop within plant stems.
Common leaf weevil
Phyllobius pyri – (family Curculionidae)
The weevil family is one of the largest in the animal kingdom, with a huge number of species (there are more species of weevils in the UK than birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians combined). All weevils have a snout (known as a ‘rostrum’) bearing their mouthparts. However, in some species such as this common leaf weevil – seen here with wing-cases open and wings spread ready for flight – the rostrum is rather short and stout.
Stag beetle
Lucanus cervus – (family Lucanidae)
The male stag beetle – with its huge antler-like mandibles that are used in fights with other males – is the largest British land beetle. The larvae feed on decaying wood and their development takes up to five years. Due to overzealous clearance of dead wood their numbers have declined greatly and the stag beetle is now a protected species. It is still found in several parts of southern England, where it is increasingly dependent on habitat conservation in gardens and parks.
For more information, see the PTES’s Biodiversity Action Plan for stag beetles Great Stag Hunt.
Longhorn beetle
Rhagium mordax – (family Cerambycidae)
Some longhorn beetles do not have particularly long antennae – this species is one of them. Rhagium mordaxis a common species in the early summer, when the adults are often seen on hawthorn and hogweed flowers. The larvae tunnel and feed in soft well-rotted dead wood of broad-leaved trees.
Black-headed cardinal beetle
Pyrochroa coccinea – (family Pyrochroidae)
This distinctively-coloured cardinal beetle has a somewhat flattened shape and comb-like antennae. The adults are usually found on flowers near the edges of woods. The carnivorous larvae live underneath dry bark, where they eat other insects – or each other.
Black-tipped soldier beetle
Rhagonycha fulva – (family Cantharidae)
This is probably the commonest British soldier beetle and the adults are found later than other species, in July and early August. It is usually seen on flowers where it feeds on nectar and pollen, but also robs and eats other flower-visiting insects: it can also very often be seen mating. Although it is completely harmless to humans, children’s folklore refers to this and other soldier beetles as ‘bloodsuckers’.
Rove beetle
Staphylinus erythropterus – (family Staphylinidae)
Rove beetles are characterized by having greatly shortened wing-cases with their flying wings much-folded underneath. This gives them narrow flexible bodies that allow them to chase their prey rapidly through complex spaces such as densely matted grass. Staphylinus erythropterus is common on heaths and moors, especially in the north, but is more often seen conspicuously crossing paths and other open spaces. Rove beetles are very successful: over a quarter of Britain’s beetle species belong to this family.
Bloody-nosed beetle
Timarcha tenebricosa – (family Chrysomelidae)
Unlike the majority of chrysomelid beetles, which are brightly coloured, often with a metallic shine, the adult bloody-nosed beetle is black. It is slow-moving and feeds on bedstraw plants. Its distinctive feature is its defensive reaction of producing a blood-red liquid from its mouth when it is attacked or disturbed, giving it its common name.
Minotaur beetle
Typhaeus typhoeus – (family Scarabaeidae)
The minotaur beetle is a spectacular dung beetle of heaths, moorlands and mountains, especially in the north and west of the British Isles. The males use the long prongs on the thorax (as seen here) to compete for females. Large males have relatively even larger prongs, whereas the females have only small points in their place. They are most often seen with other dung beetles (especially the dor beetles of the related genus Geotrupes) on rabbit middens and sheep droppings.