Article
Article
Coleoptera
Article By:
Crowson, Roy A. Department of Zoology, University of Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom.
Last reviewed:May 2021
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.148200
An order of Insecta comprising the beetles. Beetles belong to the insect order Coleoptera. This is the largest animal order, containing approximately 400,000 species. With so many species, beetles show very great diversity in size, form, color, habits, and physiology (Fig. 1). Beetles have been found almost everywhere on Earth (except for the Antarctic mainland) where any insects are known, and species of the order exploit almost every habitat and type of food that is used by insects. Many species are economically important. Modern classification systems divide the Coleoptera into four extant suborders: Adephaga, Archostemata, Myxophaga, and Polyphaga. Classification designations are based on a great variety of characteristics, including internal ones and those of immature stages, as well as taking fossil evidence into account. See also: Biodiversity; Economic entomology; Insect physiology; Insecta
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
