Imported taxonomy record. Source availability varies; see the source references and editorial policy below.
Habitat and Range
Geographic Range
California and Oregon
About Primitive Winged Insects: the wider group
Order-level background for Coleoptera, the group containing Scaphinotus cristatus. Species-specific details appear above.
Group overview
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.
Ecological role of the group
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.
Economic and practical significance of the group
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.
Recorded sources for this group: Britannica, Smithsonian, NCSU Entomology. Imported estimates may describe particular regions or reporting periods.
(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd(c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd
Photo credits: (c) Tony Iwane, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Tony Iwane | (c) Liam O'Brien, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Liam O'Brien | (c) Trevor Van Loon, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Trevor Van Loon | (c) sea-kangaroo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-ND), uploaded by sea-kangaroo | (c) Ulysses M, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Ulysses M | (c) Leslie Flint, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Leslie Flint | (c) Cat Chang, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Cat Chang | Contributed by Brad Barnd
