Primitive Winged Insects

Order Coleoptera

The Primitive Winged Insects (Order Coleoptera) includes 15,720 species across 160 families and 3,716 genera in our directory.

About Primitive Winged Insects

Coleoptera is the largest order of insects with over 400,000 described species, representing ~25% of all known animal species and ~40% of all insects. In the U.S. alone, nearly 30,000 beetle species have been identified.

Economic Impact

Beetles have major economic significance: leaf beetles (Chrysomelidae) and weevils (Curculionoidea) are among the most destructive agricultural pests globally, costing billions annually, while predatory species like ladybugs provide natural pest control.

Ecological Role

Beetles are prominent decomposers, especially in forests, breaking down dead wood and recycling nutrients. As predators, they reduce populations of pest insects. Many species are also important pollinators of flowering plants.

Families in Coleoptera (160)

Species in Coleoptera (15,720)

California Glowworm

Ellychnia californica

Lampyridae

Identification: Sides of median black area of pronotum straight, diverging from apex to base, with a small antebasal lobe extending into roseate area; in the sympatric E. megista , the black area is subparallel to the base, where it slightly widens (

California Lady Beetle

Coccinella californica

Coccinellidae

Identification: Gordon's figures - Typical form: Gordon's figure - "johnsoni" form:

California sagebrush leaf beetle

Trirhabda sericotrachyla

Chrysomelidae

Identification: T. sericotrachyla is easily confused with T. luteocincta ...below they're contrasted side-by-side: T. sericotrachyla T. luteocincta T. sericotrachyla T. luteocincta T. sericotrachyla T. luteocincta T. luteocincta on left T. sericotrac

Calleida decora

Carabidae

Identification: Eyes large and prominent - key to separate the similarly colored C. punctata and C. decora

Calleida punctata

Carabidae

Identification: Eyes small - key to separate the similarly colored C. punctata and C. decora

Calleida punctulata

Carabidae

Identification: A species account written in English is available under the junior synonym Callida rugicollis G.H. Horn, 1894: page 361 . Members of genus Calleida typically have elongated pronota and without such widely reflexed lateral margins as s

Calleida viridipennis

Carabidae

Identification: bright bluish-green, elytra can be purple, sometimes margined with copper; antennae piceous , except for antennomeres 1-3 and part of 4; venter piceous occasionally comes to lights

Callidiellum villosulum

Cerambycidae

Identification: Image - IPM Images.org The Brown Fir longhorned beetle has been found in wood trunks of artificial Christmas trees imported from China. Between 1999 and 2001, more than 20 interceptions of this species were recorded.

Callidium cicatricosum

Cerambycidae

Callidium cicatricosum is a species of beetle, also referred to as the long-horned beetle, in the Cerambycidae family. It was described by Mannerheim in 1853.

Callidium pseudotsugae

Cerambycidae

Identification: "The all black color, lack of pronotal callosities, and Douglas Fir host all separate this species from the very similar C. antennatum " (from Dennis Haines' comment on this page ).

Calligrapha ancoralis

Chrysomelidae

Identification: In the typical pattern, the humeral moon-shaped macula is narrowly seperated from both the enclosed dark spot, and the subsutural band (on 2nd. interval). The rear end of dark 3rd. interval is bending outwards, turning forward and may

Calligrapha californica

Chrysomelidae

Identification: The black-headed larvae have a dark brown rotund body twice as wide as the head and three times as long. The adult is a dark beige beetle approximately 6 mm long with 3 black stripes on its back.

Calligrapha confluens

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Distinguished by the narrow pale area near the suture on the apical declivity of elytra. Species is polymorphic for this feature, however. (Dr. Gomez-Zurita's comments here and here )

Calligrapha diversa

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Elytra pinkish to red (yellowish in death) with many dark spots; in intensively coloured specimens, dark pattern elements usually bordered with white. Sides of elytra without dark spot, subsutural band near base divergent from sutural

Calligrapha knabi

Chrysomelidae

Identification: can be distinguished from C. rowena (a similar dogwood-feeding species) by the apical part of the arcuate band connected to the sutural vitta (e.g., the posterior V-shaped spot connected to the black longitudinal area where the elytra

Calligrapha signatipennis

Chrysomelidae

Calligrapha signatipennis is a species of leaf beetle belonging to the family Chrysomelidae, in the subgenus Zygogramma, which was formerly a genus. It is found in Central America and North America.

Calligrapha suturella

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Specimens like this, coming from NE North America can be found in many collections mingled with C. multipunctata , for they share the pale margins of pronotum and the lack of a diagnostic spot laterally on elytra. However, it is a dif

Calligrapha verrucosa

Chrysomelidae

Identification: habitus photos showing variability in

Callimoxys nigrinus

Cerambycidae

Identification: Very difficult to separate from C. ocularis

Callimoxys sanguinicollis

Cerambycidae

Callimoxys sanguinicollis (Callimoxys sanguinicollis) is a species in the family Cerambycidae, commonly known as longhorn beetles, belonging to the order Coleoptera (Beetles). It is classified within the subfamily Cerambycinae, tribe Stenopterini, su

Callipogonius cornutus

Cerambycidae

Identification: The most distinctive character that sets this species apart from all other Lamiinae found in the Lower Rio Grande Valley is the exceptionally long “flying” hairs that arise from most parts on the body. These hairs are especially consp

Callistethus marginatus

Scarabaeidae

Identification: Elytra brownish, with a green tint. Head and pronotum darker, pronotum may have paler sides

Calodromius spilotus

Carabidae

Calodromius spilotus is a small species, measuring around 3.5 to 4.5 mm long. It has a rather flat body shape and black head , the pronotum is reddish-brown, the elytra dark brown with two pale markings on each. Please provide a photograph and an ind

Calosoma aurocinctum

Carabidae

First recorded in the US by Townsend (1902) from specimens collected near Brownsville.

Calosoma macrum

Carabidae

Identification: remarkable for the almost entire absence of the usual striae and foveae: the tibia are straight in both sexes. The elytra of the male are not wider than the thorax; those of the female are about one third wider. Det. J. C. Abbott, 199

Calosoma marginale

Carabidae

Identification: elytra with a few scattered coarse punctures toward base Det. E. G. Riley, 2009 Type Locality: Arizona?

Calosoma obsoletum

Carabidae

Calosoma obsoletum is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily of Carabinae. It was described by Say in 1823.

Calosoma protractum

Carabidae

Calosoma macrum is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Carabinae. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1852. The species is 22–29 millimetres (0.87–1.14 in) long, black, and lives at an elevation of 1,100 to 1,700 metres (3,600 to 5,6

Calosoma tepidum

Carabidae

Calosoma tepidum is a species of ground beetle in the subfamily Carabinae. It was described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1851.

Calosoma wilcoxi

Carabidae

Identification: In general, smaller and duller than the similar Calosoma scrutator . See images and comments:

Calosoma wilkesii 0

Calosoma wilkesii

Carabidae

Identification: Species page dorsal habitus: form A · form B

Calymmaderus nitidus

Ptinidae

Identification: Following combination is diagnostic within genus: Body glabrous, very shiny, practically no hairs and distant punctures dorsally; last ventral segment with impressed line bordering apical margin, interrupted medially.

Calymmaderus similis 0

Calymmaderus similis

Ptinidae

Type Locality: Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas, 15 May 1904, H. S. Barber

Cambium Curculio

Conotrachelus anaglypticus

Curculionidae

Identification: diagonal orange shoulder marks seem to be a nice consistent feature: economic pest of peach

Camphor Shoot Borer

Cnestus mutilatus

Curculionidae

Earliest record in our area: MS 1999 Recorded boring into and damaging plastic fuel reservoirs (Carlton & Bayless 2011) "Riding lawn mower gasoline tank damaged by camphor shoot borer."

Camptodes gaumeri 0

Camptodes gaumeri

Nitidulidae

Identification: Color testaceous to dark rufo-piceous, humeri feebly pronounced Pygidium ferrugineus to piceous, pronotal and elytral punctures faintly/obsoletely impressed Type Locality: Mexico, Temax in North Yucatan (Gaumer).

Camptodes texanus

Nitidulidae

Identification: Rounded, convex, testaceous, head, thorax and scutellum piceous shining, fading into rufous at sides of thorax and apex of clypeus, elytra greenish black. Type series, 2 specimens collected at Brownsville, Cameron Co., Texas.

Canada Thistle Bud Weevil

Larinus carlinae

Curculionidae

introduced to control invasive thistle in the 1960s (was later found to infect some native thistles)

Cantharis cryptica

Cantharidae

7 to 8.5 mm. An orange/brown beetle with black rings above the 'knees' and all-yellow palps. The elytra have a mixture of flat and erect hairs. Cantharis pallida is very similar but has black tips to the palps and no flat hairs on the elytra (only er

Cantharis decipiens

Cantharidae

7.5 - 8.5mm. The orange/brown elytra and distinctly marked thorax help to distinguish this species from other Cantharis beetles. Rhagonycha limbata has similar colours but the black mark on the pronotum has an angled and not rounded base. Rhagonycha

Cantharis figurata

Cantharidae

Length 6 to 8 mm. This soldier beetle has an orange body, a partially black head and a dark but diffuse mark on its pronotum, sometimes reduced to a few spots. It also has dark femora which change to orange before the tibial joint. Rushy pasture, ope

Cantharis flavilabris

Cantharidae

The black elytra (wing covers) are shiny and have a layer of very fine hairs. The pronotum can be all black or may have varying amounts of red. The scutellum is black which distinguishes the red pronotum variety from the similar C. nigra which has a

Cantharis grandicollis

Cantharidae

Cantharis grandicollis is a species of soldier beetle in the family Cantharidae. It is found in North America.

Cantharis lateralis

Cantharidae

Length: 5-7mm. The head and elytra are grey-black but the pronotum is orange, sometimes with small dark marks, and is square-shaped. The legs are usually all yellow/orange except the black rear tibiae. Outer edge of elytra yellow. Widely distributed

Cantharis livida

Cantharidae

11-14mm. All yellow/orange but with a broad black band at the base of the hind femora. The black head spot behind the eyes is unique to this species. Cantharis livida also has a darker form (var. rufipes ). Your specimen should have these features: A

Cantharis nigra

Cantharidae

Very similar to the red pronotum variety of Cantharis flavilabris , but in C. nigra the scutellum is red (black scutellum in the red pronotum variety of C. flavilabris ) The red pronotum variety of Cantharis flavilabris (see above). Photographs requi

Cantharis nigricans

Cantharidae

Length 9 to 11 mm. The elytra appear grey from the coating of short flat hairs amongst the longer ones. The yellow-orange pronotum may have a central darker mark and typically has a lighter orange ring around the edge. There is a broad black band on

Cantharis pallida

Cantharidae

This orangey soldier beetle is one of several similarly coloured beetles that belong to the Cantharidae group. In this species the head, pronotum and legs are all predominantly orange. They are frequent visitors to thistles and umbelliferous flowers,

Cantharis pellucida

Cantharidae

9-12mm. Dark to black elytra and an all-orange/red pronotum. It has thin bands at the tip of the hind femora and typically with dark mid-tibia. Cantharis nigricans has broad black bands at the end of the femora and overall has a duller and more yello

Cantharis rufa

Cantharidae

Length 9 - 11 mm. Variable. The head is usually red with black behind the eyes but may be black in front of the eyes too. There is usually a dark mark on the pronotum but this is variable. The legs vary from all red to having some black but not ringe

Cantharis rustica

Cantharidae

9 to 12.5 mm. It has black, shiny elytra (wing cases) covered in fine hairs. The red/orange pronotum has a central black heart spot. The mid and hind tibia are black. Your specimen should have these features: Areas with tall grasses, and in open wood

Canthon (Glaphyrocanthon) viridis

Canthon viridis

Scarabaeidae

Identification: two 'clypial teeth', color variable our only representative of the subg. Glaphyrocanthon Martínez 1948

Canthon cyanellus

Scarabaeidae

Identification: note two narrow clypeal teeth; color variable

Canthon floridanus

Scarabaeidae

Identification: Dorsum with intense purpleblue sheen; clypeal edge slightly sinuate on each side of anterior rounded clypeal teeth, median emargination acutely angular and arcuate; elytral granulation finer and flatter; metatarsus with a single row o

Canthon humectus

Scarabaeidae

Identification: protibial teeth equidistant; dorsum without shiny spots/granules

Canthon imitator

Scarabaeidae

Identification: Dark blue to brownish-coppery. note clypeus

Canthon pilularius

Scarabaeidae

Identification: generally dull black, southern specimens often green. narrow eyes, shallow clypeal emargination, and the two sizes of granule on the body surface will serve to separate this sp. from other Canthon spp. in NE det. D.Edmonds 2024: 'eyes

Canthon vigilans

Scarabaeidae

Identification: eyes large (for this genus), about half as wide as long. Clypeus toothed.

Caplothorax brevipennis

Nitidulidae

Identification: pronotal disc with a very narrow, median, impunctate line on basal half.

Caplothorax melanopterus

Nitidulidae

Identification: https://site.caes.uga.edu/carpophiline-id/caplothorax-melanopterus-erichson-1843/

Caplothorax sayi

Nitidulidae

Carpophilus sayi and Colopterus truncatus are the predominant species collected from fresh wounds on red oak in Minnesota (Juzwik et al. 1999), suggesting these are the primary vectors in MN. (Cervenka et al. 2001) C. sayi was not indicated as possib

Caplothorax yuccae 0

Caplothorax yuccae

Nitidulidae

Identification: remarkable for its large size and oval, depressed form Type: from the unopened flower heads of Yucca in the Mohave Desert, California

Capraita circumdata

Chrysomelidae

=v='s avis: Anthony Deczynski told me that "none of the [photos] IDed as Capraita thyamoides are correct. C. thyamoides lacks humeral callosities, which appear in all the images. Most of them are probably C. circumdata , although some other species h

Capraita flavida

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Quite narrow, all pale; underside, scutellum and terminal part of antennae only slightly darker.

Capraita nigrosignata

Chrysomelidae

Type Locality: Esperanza Ranch, Brownsville, Cameron Co., TX

Capraita obsidiana

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Typical colour form brown, with only pronotal side margin and elytral apex yellowish. The extreme pale form (var. flava ) has dark colour reduced to two bands on pronotum, and a variable pattern of up to three fasciae on elytra (close

Capraita pervittata

Chrysomelidae

Identification: C. pervittata C. subvittata C. pervittata has been separated from C. subvittata mainly on grounds of the very bold, and well defined elytral pattern. The above individual demonstrates it perfectly. Note: in C. subvittata , if not larg

Capraita quercata

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Head and pronotum reddish, unspotted; elytra distinctly punctured, blackish (margin may be narrowly lighter, but not as pale as pronotum) The species has for long been misinterpreted: Oedionychis quercata sensu Horn et auct., non Fabr

Capraita scalaris

Chrysomelidae

Identification: pale, with the thorax having acute anterior angles and broadly reflexed sides; elytra pitch-black and finely punctate, broader at the base towards the scutellum, with a trilobed lateral margin and two pale spots on the disc of each, a

Capraita sexmaculata

Chrysomelidae

Identification: typical form: Det. E. G. Riley, 2009 at high-moderate risk of endangerment due to the EAB ( 4 )

Capraita subvittata

Chrysomelidae

Identification: Elytra coarsely punctate (but less so as in C. sexmaculata ), general pattern consists of a humeral spot, +/- elongated to about half of elytron, a median vitta, not reaching base or apex, and a short basal streak near scutellum, reac

Capraita suturalis

Chrysomelidae

Capraita suturalis (Capraita suturalis) is a species in the family Chrysomelidae, commonly known as leaf beetles, belonging to the order Coleoptera (Beetles). It is classified within the subfamily Galerucinae, tribe Alticini, suborder Polyphaga, supe

Carabus auratus

Carabidae

a member of the subgenus Tachypus Weber (4 spp. in Europe, one ranging into Siberia)

Carabus chamissonis

Carabidae

Carabus chamissonis is a species of ground beetle in the family Carabidae. It is found in tundra regions across northern Canada and Alaska, as well as isolated populations on Mount Washington, New Hampshire and Katahdin in Maine. This is a species of

Carabus finitimus

Carabidae

14 spmns in the UTIC ( 4 ) from the Brackenridge Field Laboratory (BFL), UT, Austin, Travis County, Texas from Nov. 1968 to April 1969.

Carabus granulatus

Carabidae

A large (16-23mm) granulate bronze, green or black predatory beetle. Wet fields, river margins, lakeshores and light woodland. Widespread in much of Britain but never really common.

Carabus problematicus

Carabidae

Up to 30mm. This species has ridges and dimples on its elytra and also has a pronotum that is barely transverse and with contracted sides. C. violaceus has smoother elytra that are more elongate and also has a more transverse pronotum. Although predo

Carabus truncaticollis

Carabidae

our only representative of the subgenus Aulonocarabus Reitter (13 spp. in Asia, of which one ranges into n. NA)

Carabus vinctus

Carabidae

Identification: Large, black, and slightly bronzed. Each elytron has "four ridges broken into elongate tubercles" . Blatchley gives the following description: Appears, like many carabids, to have potent chemical defenses (Frost, 1910):

Carcinocephalus flavidus

Staphylinidae

"Only males of the long-winged form are known so far - all females and some males are short-winged, with short elytra, antennae, tarsi, and smaller eyes! The species does seem to be a typically cool-active one. (See Thayer, M. K. 1992. Discovery of s

Cardinal Beetle

Pyrochroa serraticornis

Pyrochroidae

One of several Cardinal Beetles, this species has a red head to distinguish it from P. coccinea which has a black head. On flowers, trunks and stumps where it hunts other insects. Widespread and fairly frequent in England and Wales.

Cardiophorus brevis

Elateridae

Specimens from Arizona previously identified as C. aptopoides are better attributable to C. brevis based on rexamimination of tarsal claw morphology [H. Douglas pers. comm. to B. Mathison 2018]

Cardiophorus panamapolis

Elateridae

Identification: HOLOTYPE Type Locality: West Panama City Beach, Bay County, Florida

Cardiophorus robustus

Elateridae

Had not been collected since 1965 until the BugGuide specimens (2012 and 2016)

Cardiophorus togatus

Elateridae

Identification: Horn (1871) noted a second spmn that "has the elytra entirely red with the apex only slightly darker ." Type series, two spmns, collected by Mr. Belfrage at Waco, Texas (Horn 1871)

Carolina Metallic Tiger Beetle

Tetracha carolina

Carabidae

Identification: (Adult) dorsal surface glossy metallic green, often mixed with red or purple; large cream-colored spots (apical lunules) at apex of elytra Differentiation of larvae of T. virginica vs. T. carolina may be possible. Quoting from Hamilto

Carpelimus pertenuis

Staphylinidae

Type Locality: "Tex.: Austin; on the Colorado River above Columbus, Travis, Texas, United States" Note, the type series of this sp. was collected by Schwarz who collected in and around Austin County, Texas. Schwarz is not known to have ever visited t

Carpelimus quadripunctatus

Staphylinidae

Identification: pronotum hexagonal, with 4 impressions around middle

Carphacis effrenatus

Staphylinidae

Identification: Females can't be confidently separated from the unicolorous nepigonensis unless associated with a male. Males have scale-like modified 8th sternite, such as: The two other NA species have setae-like modified 8th sternite.

Carphacis nepigonensis

Staphylinidae

Identification: Unicolorous female can't be confidently separated from effrenatus unless associated with a male

Carphobius caterinoi

Curculionidae

Identification: Distinguished from other Carphobius spp. by the presence of scale-like vestiture, and 2-3 small, acute spines on 1st and 3rd declivital interstriae.

Carphoborus carri

Curculionidae

Identification: Frons flattened in both sexes, more deeply impressed above epistoma in male, surface shining, coarsely to finely, deeply punctured, vestiture long (female); pronotum closely, coarsely punctured; elytral interstriae coarsely, deeply pu

Carpophilus brachypterus

Nitidulidae

Carpophilus brachypterus (Carpophilus brachypterus) is a species in the family Nitidulidae, commonly known as sap-feeding beetles, belonging to the order Coleoptera (Beetles). It is classified within the subfamily Carpophilinae, suborder Polyphaga, s

Carpophilus nepos

Nitidulidae

Identification: "many things have been misidentified as this species, [native range] unknown" (A.R. Cline, pers. comm. to =v= 5.iv.2011) males produce an aggregation pheromone that attracts beetles of both sexes ( Petroski & Weisleder 1997 )

Carpophilus obsoletus 0

Carpophilus obsoletus

Nitidulidae

Identification: adult habitus photos: 1 • 2 • 3 a major pest of various dry agricultural products ( 3 )

Carrot Beetle

Ligyrus gibbosus

Scarabaeidae

Identification: External surface of protibia, in frontal view, deeply punctate. Pronotum and elytra with minute to small punctures.

Cartodere bifasciata

Latridiidae

This is a minute scavenger beetle sometimes called a mould beetle, and measures little more than 2 mm in length. The elytra are gold-brown in colour and are marked with a darker patterning of large dot like blotches. The elytra are also studded with

Cartodere nodifer

Latridiidae

This is a minute scavenger beetle sometimes called a mould beetle, and measures 1.5 to 2 mm in length. Colour when mature is dull black and the mature specimens have a waxy membrane to the sides of the pronotum and on various parts of the ventral sur

Casey's Lady Beetle

Hippodamia caseyi

Coccinellidae

Identification: Pronotum (between wings and head): Elytra (wing covers): This species wasn't proved to live in Alberta until 2007, so earlier range maps don't show it there.

Cassida relicta

Chrysomelidae

described from three specimens with the data "Illinois Belfrage." Riley regarded this species as "perhaps the rarest of the United States cassidines."