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Family Carabidae
Ground Beetles
Ground Beetles
Family CarabidaeThird largest family in North America –
about 2,200 speciesLarge variation in size, shape and colorMost species are dark, shiny and
flattenedStriated elytra
Ground Beetles
Ground beetles are found under stones, logs, leaves and debris
Able to run rapidly – rarely flyMost species are nocturnal and are
attracted to lightMost are predaceousMany are beneficial25mm or more
Ground Beetles
Ground Beetles
Scaphinotus and a few other genera feed on snails and slugs
Both larvae are also predaceous and found in debris, under bark, in burrows in soil
Calosoma sp. Are know as “caterpillar hunters”
Calosoma sycophantaForest Caterpillar
Hunter Imported from Europe
to manage gypsy moth in the eastern United States
Calosoma sycophanta
Calosoma sycophanta
Ground Beetles
Some emit foul odors when handledBrachinus the bombardier beetles eject a
chemical irritant when threatened or offensively
The chemical vaporizes when it contacts air and creates what resembles a puff of smoke
Bombardier Beetles
Family Staphylinidae
Rove Beetles
Rove Beetles
Family StaphylinidaeLargest family in North America – nearly
3,200 speciesThe bodies are slender and elongateThey usually have a shortened elytra
with an exposed abdomenActive – flies and runs rapidlyUsually black or brown in color
Rove Beetles
Resembles click beetles or earwigs
Rove Beetles
Rove beetles have long, slender, sharp mandibles
Larger species can inflict a painful biteRoves are typically found in decaying
matter, particularly in dung and in carrion
Most species are predaceousFound under rocks, along streams,
seashore, nests of birds, mammals, ants and termites and…
Cow Pies
Family Elateridae
Click Beetles
Click Beetles
Family ElateridaeOver 800 species in north AmericaCharacteristic body shape – elongate
with parallel sidesClick beetles can right themselves by
bending their heads back then snapping forward causing their entire body to flip into the air and making a clicking sound
Click Beetles
12 mm to 30 mm up to 40 mmMost are black or brownAdults are “phytophagous” plant eatersAdults can flyAdults are found in flowers, under bark,
on vegetationSome species are predaceous
Click Beetles
Pyrophorus species
Click Beetles
Larvae are commonly called wireworms – long, slender, hard-bodied
Found in soil and rotting woodLarvae can be very destructive – feeds
on roots, seedlings, potatoes
Click Beetle Larvae
Click Beetles
Family Buprestidae
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Family BuprestidaeOver 670 species in North AmericaSizes range from 3 mm to 20 mm to 100
mmAs a group, they are often referred to as
flathead borersOften metallic in appearance – coppery,
green, blue, blackHard, compact bodiesCharacteristic shape – long, flattened
bodies with a tapered posterior
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Many are attracted to dead or dying trees
Some are foliage feedersThey are able to fly or run rapidlyLarvae attack live trees, fresh cut trees
or dead trees or branchesMany cause serious damage to trees and
shrubs
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Larvae bore under bark or into woodTheir galleries are often winding and
filled with frassTunnels usually enter the tree at an
angle and tend to be oval
Metallic Wood-Boring Beetles
Flathead Borer Larvae
Family Tenebrionidae
Darkling Beetles
Darkling Beetles
Family Tenebrionidae
Fifth largest family of beetles in North America
Approximately 1,000 species
Most are black or brownish with a few having red markings on the elytra
Darkling Beetle
Darkling Beetles
Many are black and smooth resembling ground beetles
Some are brown and rough resembling bark beetles
Some have extremely hard exoskeletons – Ironclad beetles Ironclad Beetle
Darkling Beetles
Assumes the role of Carabidae in arid regions
Tenebrionidae point their abdomen upwards at about a 45º angle
Emits an unpleasant smelling reddish-black fluid
Defensive Posture
Darkling Beetles
Most are plant feeders, some fungus feeders
Some feed on stored grains and flour
Larvae are referred to as mealworms – similar to wireworms
Tenebrionidae are flightless – no hind wings, fused elytra
Mealworms
Family Dermestidae
Dermestid Beetles
Dermestid Beetles
Family DermestidaeA.K.A skin beetles or
carpet beetlesAbout 130 species
in North AmericaA small beetle – 2 to
12 mm
Dermestid Beetles
Dermestid Beetles
Mostly scavengersMany are very destructive household
pestsDermestids feed on plant and animal
products including leather, furs, skins, museum specimens, insect collections, woolens, silks, rugs and carpets, carrion, flowers, etc.
Dermestid Damage
Remnants of an Insect Collection
Dermestids Feeding on
Grain
Woolly Bears
Dermestids are usually hairy or covered with scales
In nature they are a valuable scavenger and carrion feeder
Larvae are often referred to as “woolly bears”
Skull Cleaning Anyone?
The species Dermestes is used by zoologists to clean skeletons
Family Anobiidae
Cigarette & Drugstore Beetles
Cigarette & Drugstore Beetles
Family AnobiidaeOver 300 species in
North AmericaAnother really small
beetle – 1 to 9 mm
Anobium punctatum
Cigarette & Drugstore Beetles
Common pest in stored cereals, spices, pet food
Anobiidae bore into wooden furniture
“Death Watch” beetle bore into wood making a ticking sound
Death-Watch Beetle
Family Coccinellidae
Ladybird Beetles
Ladybird Beetles
Family Coccinellidae
A.K.A. lady beetles and ladybugs
Over 470 species in North America
Small – 0.8 to 10 mm
Convergent Ladybird Beetle
Ladybird Beetles
Oval, convex bodyOften brightly
coloredMost are
predaceousFeeds primarily on
aphidsSo Many Aphids,
So Little Time
Ladybird Beetles
Diapause Ladybird beetles overwinter as adults in
large masses on rocks, fallen logs, trees, etc.
Ladybird Beetles
Larvae are elongate, spiny, often black with bright colored bands or spots
Pupae
Larvae
Family Chrysomelidae
Leaf Beetles
Leaf Beetles
Family ChrysomelidaeSmall beetles to 5 mm Broadly oval to
circularOften very attractive Some species of
tortoise beetles resemble ladybird beetles
Leaf Beetle
Family Chrysomelidae
Australian Leaf Beetle
Trachymela sloaneiA.K.A. Australian Tortoise BeetleFirst discovered in Riverside County in
1998Now throughout Southern California, the
Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area wherever eucalyptus are found
Australian Leaf Beetle
Australian Leaf Beetle Adults
Australian Leaf Beetle
Adults are strong fliers, expected to spread
Australian tortoise beetles are defoliators
Adults and larvae chew semicircular to irregular notches
New growth is also removed
Family Cerambycidae
Long-Horned Beetles
Long-Horned Beetles
Family CerambycidaeAbout 1,000 species
in North AmericaMost are elongate and
cylindrical Many have very long
antennaeMany are brightly
colored
Long-Horned Beetle
Long-Horned Beetle
All Cerambycidae are plant feeders Some flower feeders and most are wood-
boring in the larval stageMany are very destructive to shade
trees, forests, fruit trees and cut woodConsidered round-headed borers leaving
round galleries
Twig-Girdler
The female twig-girdler lays eggs in the ends of small, live branches
She then girdles the branch cutting off the water supply
The branch drops to the ground and the larvae feed on the dead wood
Twig-Girdler
Eucalyptus Long-Horned Borer
There are two closely related speciesPhoracantha semipunctataPhoracantha recurva
Phoracantha semipunctata
Introduced into California in the 1980s
Now throughout California
Attacks and kills large numbers of trees annually
Stressed trees are most susceptible
Phoracantha recurva
Discovered in 1995Found throughout Southern California counties
Expected to spread throughout the state wherever eucalyptus exist
Eucalyptus Long-Horned Borer
Attracted to fresh-cut wood, dying limbs and stressed trees
Capable fliers, able to migrate readily Controls: Keep trees healthy and free from dead
branchesCover wood pilesConsider removal in minimally managed
or unmanaged areas
Superfamily Curculionoidae
Weevils and Snout Beetles
Weevils and Snout Beetles
Superfamily Curculionoidae
More than 3,100 species in North America
Nearly species all feed on plant materials
Snout Beetle
Weevils and Snout Beetles
Larvae are “C”-shaped, usually legless and burrowers
Larvae infest nuts, twigs, etc.
Serious pests to stored products, field crops, gardens, shade trees and fruit trees
