Insect Identification: Coleoptera examples page 2

*** Note: KnowYourInsects.org does its best to include correct identifications of insect photos. It’s always possible that we made a mistake, however, so if you see a misidentification, please contact us and we will correct it. Thanks!

Order Coleoptera: the beetles — Examples

Now on THREE pages

Page 2 (current page):

Anthicidae

Page 1:

Page 3:

Cicindelidae (see Carabidae)

Attelabidae, the leaf-rolling weevils

Hazel leaf-roller, Apoderus coryli, subfamily Attelabinae, family Attelabidae.
□ The female Homoeolabus analis and other species in this family lay their eggs on a leaf, and roll up the leaf (like rolling up a rug) with the eggs inside. Entomologists call the leaf roll a nidus. The nidus protects the eggs as well as the larvae that later hatch from the eggs.
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Well done on the ID, Bryan! Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 29 July, 2018.

Leaf-rolling weevil (Homoeolabus analis)

Homoeolabus analis (no specific common name), subfamily Attelabinae, family Attelabidae.
□ The hazel leaf-roller is so named because the young live inside rolled-up leaves of hazel trees and shrubs.
Photographed by: Joan Smith. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tampa, Florida, USA. Date: 9 June, 2017.

Giraffe Weevil (Korotyaevirhinus necopinus orientalis)

Korotyaevirhinus necopinus orientalis (no specific common name), subfamily Apoderinae, family Attelabidae.
□ Korotyaevirhinus necopinus orientalis is one of the species of leaf-rolling weevils with an elongated head and snout. Those features give it a silhouette somewhat resembling that of a giraffe, so they are sometimes called giraffe weevils. This weevil often sits as shown: its two forward pairs of legs outstretched, so the body is tilted up.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well-done on the identification, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 29 November, 2023.

Leaf-rolling weevils roll by nipping through the primary leaf vein (the mid-rib) so the leaf begins to wilt, and then making several more bites to the mid-rib to make it more bendable. The weevil begins rolling the leaf starting at the tip, and adds nips and folds to keep the roll secure. To learn more, click here (University of Florida ).

A leaf-rolling weevil and its nidus, in the family Attelabidae.
□ The photographer captured both the leaf-rolling weevil and a leaf roll, which is called a nidus. The female makes the tightly rolled nidus, which forms a shelter in which to lay an egg: one egg per nidus. The hatching larva grows inside, feeding on bits of the leaf, until eventually pupating and emerging as an adult.
□ To see a wonderful video of the leaf-rolling process click here (YouTube/FreeLens/Dr. Mohamed Babu, of Mysore, South India).
Photographed and identified by: Manjunath Badiger. Location: Dharwad, Karnataka, India. Date: 4 August, 2024.

Anthribidae, the fungus weevils

Platystomos albinus (no specific common name), subfamily Attelabinae, family Anthribidae.
□ Platystomos albinus may be either dark brown or light brown, but all have a white patch on the snout and at the rear, and two white spots in the middle. The female (shown) has shorter antennae than the male. See the photographer’s story below.
Photographed by: Jennifer Sims. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Jegenstorf, Switzerland. Date: 29 July, 2018.
Jennifer says one landed on her leg, and when she went to touch it, “it suddenly flipped over onto its back and played dead! Very cute!”

Coffee bean weevil, Araecerus fasciculatus, subfamily Choraginae, family Anthribidae.
□ Coffee bean weevils are about the size of a coffee bean, but their common name came about because they often get into stored coffee. They are also a pest of a variety of stored goods and agricultural crops, such as cocoa.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nicely done, Eric! Location: Bang Krang area of Thailand. Date: 16 August, 2023.

Most weevils have a knuckle-like joint in their antennae, and they can bend them angularly at that joint. Fungus weevils in the Anthribidae family have no such joint, so while they can curve their antennae a bit, they cannot sharply bend them.

Curculionidae, the weevils

Citrus Root Weevil, also known as a Chichi (Diaprepes abbreviatus)

Citrus root weevil, also known as a chichí, Diaprepes abbreviatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Adult citrus root weevils can be between 10–20 mm (3/8 to 3/4 inches) long, and the color can vary from cream to yellow to dark orange.
Photographed by: Darryl Gracey. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Parrish (south of Tampa), Florida, USA. Date: July 2016.
Darryl says, “I’ve not seen one of these before and had to snap it and research.”

Citrus Root Weevil or Chichi (Diaprepes abbreviatus)

Citrus root weevil, known locally in the Caribbean as a Chichí, Diaprepes abbreviatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ This is a typical appearance of the citrus root weevil: a central dark stripe flanked on each side by a smaller and then a larger stripe.
□ This weevil has become a major pest on Florida citrus since it was introduced to that state in 1964. This one was photographed in the U.S. Virgin Islands. To read more information about this weevil, click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed by: Carlo Castoro. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: north side of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Date: 30 July 2017.
Carlo says, “I found this little guy crawling up the wall in a house.... Thanks for the cool website!” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Glad you like it!”

Citrus root weevil, known locally in the Caribbean as a Chichí, Diaprepes abbreviatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ This particular citrus root weevil lacks the typical striped pattern of this species. Compare it to the others on this page to see the difference.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: unknown.

Citrus root weevil, known locally in the Caribbean as a Chichí, Diaprepes abbreviatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The citrus root weevil is a pest on sugarcane too, so it is sometimes called a sugarcane rootstalk borer weevil. In Florida, it is sometimes called an Apopka weevil, because it was originally discovered in Florida in the city of Apopka (near Orlando).
□ The striped pattern on its back can vary. Compare this specimen to the others on this page.
Photographed by: Mike Weyer. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org Location: Jacksonville, Florida, USA. Date: 15 June, 2020

Citrus root weevil, Diaprepes abbreviatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The citrus root weevil is sometimes called a diaprepes root weevil after its genus name. Its larvae live underground, where they chew on and damage the roots of citrus trees.
Photographed and identified by: Mark Magers. Nice ID, Mark! Location: Jalisco, Mexico. Date: 30 August, 2023.
Mark says, “What I could find said it was native to the Caribbean and invasive other places.” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Yes, and it is continuing to spread.”

A broad-nosed weevil in the genus Ophryastes, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Ophryastes is a genus of broad-nosed weevil that are common to desert areas in the southwestern United States. This one was photographed in southern California.
Photographed by: Juan Jesus Hernadez. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Palm Springs, California, USA. Date: March 2017.

Strawberry Root Weevil (Otiorhynchus ovatus)

Rough strawberry root weevil, Otiorhynchus rugosostriatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Native to Europe but now found in much of the world, the rough strawberry root weevil gets its name from the larvae, which are fond of the roots of strawberries, berries and other plants.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Kelly McKinne (@gonzonaturalist). Identified to species by: entomologist Robert S. Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Thank you, Dr. Anderson! Location: northern Ohio, USA. Date: 28 June 2016.
Kelly says, “Found this ‘lifer insect’ in my bathroom today. Very cool!”

Rough strawberry root weevil, Otiorhynchus rugosostriatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The rough strawberry root weevil is covered with small studs on its rounded pronotum (shield over the thorax) and elytra (wing covers). With that bumpy surface, it picks up little bits of debris, as seen here.
□ The genus name of Otiorhynchus derives from the Latin terms for ear-snout, referring to the flared nostrils at the end of the snout, which stick out almost like ears. Click on the photo to zoom in and see them. For more on this genus, click here (Otiorhynchus and Peritelus guide).
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. Nicely done, Thomas! See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 21 September, 2022.
Thomas says it was about 8 mm (0.3 inches) in length, and he was able to identify it by comparing it to other photos on this page.

Black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The black vine weevil is sometimes called a cyclamen weevil, cyclamen grub, or European strawberry weevil. They are pests on cyclamen and many, many other plants: the larvae eat the roots, and the adults munch on the leaves.
□ This weevil only gets to be about 11 mm (0.5 inches) long.
Photographed by: Derek Marshall‬‬. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org.
Location: UK. Date: 23 August, 2020.

Black vine weevil, probably Otiorhynchus sulcatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ This black vine weevil has a lighter color than is typical for this species. This is likely due to its age — as they get older, the color can lighten, so this is probably an old individual, according to entomologist Robert S. Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature.
Photographed by: Barb Auge. Identified by: entomologist Robert S. Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Thank you, Dr. Anderson!
Location: Minnesota, USA. Date: 23 March, 2018.

Black vine weevil, Otiorhynchus sulcatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The black vine weevil is one of the group of weevils known as broad-nosed weevils that have shorter and broader snouts than most other types of weevils.
□ It is native to Europe, but has spread to North America, where it is now quite common.
Photographed by: Dave Delman. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: New York, USA. Date: 13 December, 2017.

Black vine weevil, Opisthograptis luteolata, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Click on the photo for a close look at the fine setae (insect “hairs”) on its back. Such a covering of setae is called pubescence.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Well done on the ID, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 19 September, 2023.

Myllocerus dorsatus (no specific common name), subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Myllocerus dorsatus has a pair of bold white stripes down its head and thorax.
Photographed by: Amit Sheth. Identified to subfamily by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India. Date: 27 November, 2020.

Sri Lankan weevil, Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ This Sri Lankan weevil made its way from Sri Lanka to Florida in 2000, and now it is in many counties, particularly in the southern half of the state. It looks almost identical to another weevil called the little leaf notcher (Artipus floridanus), which is native to Florida and the Caribbean. Two of the features that set the Sri Lankan weevil apart are a slightly yellowish head (difficult to see here) and spines on its femur (noted with the yellow arrow). For more information on this species, click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed and identified as a weevil by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 18 January, 2019.

Sri Lankan weevil, Myllocerus undecimpustulatus undatus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The Sri Lankan weevil has characteristic “shoulders.” They are squared off in the Sri Lankan weevil — almost as if it is wearing shoulder pads or military epaulets.
Photographed by: Gail Sciarrone. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lake Worth, West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Date: 22 October, 2018.

A broad-nosed weevil in the genus Myllocerus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
Photographed and identified as a weevil by: K J Westman. Tentatively identified to genus by: Mahendran Govindasamy. Thank you, Mahendran! Location: Nithulemada, Rajawella, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Date: 10 January, 2018.
K J says, “It looks like it is some textile toy for kids.”

Fuller rose weevil, Naupactus cervinus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The Fuller rose weevil reproduces parthogenetically, which means that young can develop from unfertilized eggs. In the mode of sexual reproduction seen in most other animals, a female and a male each provide half the genetic information to produce a viable egg, but in parthogenesis, the female’s eggs already have the full complement of genetic information, so there is no need for a male. In the fuller rose weevil, the female’s young have the exact same genetic complement as she does: they are clones of her, and all are females.
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. Nicely done, Thomas! See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 23 October, 2021.
Thomas says it was about 8 mm (0.3 inches) in length, and he was able to identify it with the other photo of this species on this page. Awesome!

Fuller rose weevil, Naupactus cervinus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ According to North Carolina State Extension, the fuller rose weevil feeds on all sorts of plants from maple and citrus trees to azalea and other flowers, and also is common in the vegetable garden on beans and potatoes. For more information on this insect, click here (North Carolina State University Extension).
Photographed by: Israel Suarez. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lewisville, North Carolina, USA. Date: 7 December, 2017.
Israel says, “It’s about half a centimeter (0.2 inches) in length.”

White-Fringed Weevil (Naupactus leucoloma)

White-fringed weevil in the genus Naupactus, quite possibly Naupactus leucoloma, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ White-fringed weevils feed on a wide variety of plants, and can become pests on crops. The adults chew on leaves and the larvae eat roots. For more on white-fringed weevils, click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed by: Laura Knapp. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Arkansas. Date: 21 August, 2023.
Laura says, “I’m in Arkansas where it’s 104°F today and the only things moving are grasshoppers. And this guy climbing on my daughter’s artwork.”

A broad-nosed weevil in the genus Episomus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ This broad-nosed weevil looks like it is wearing a knitted sweater. What an amazing texture!
Photographed and identified as a weevil by: K J Westman. Tentatively identified to genus by: Mahendran Govindasamy. Nicely done, Mahendran! Location: Nithulemada, Rajawella, Kandy, Sri Lanka. Date: 11 December, 2018.
K J notes the “textiles” look of this weevil and says, “I find it quite intriguing with dots and dimples.”

A pine weevil in the genus Brachyderes, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ The photo of this species of pine weevil was taken in the United Kingdom, where two similar species are found. Both are called pine weevils: Brachyderes lusitanicus and Brachyderes incants. Images of the two are available here (Wikipedia) and here (Ukrainian Biodiversity Information Network).
Photographed by: Cee Thompson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: England, UK. Date: 10 May, 2019.
Cee describes this weevil as about 1.2 cm long and 0.5 cm wide (about 1.3 inches long and 0.2 inches wide).

Gold-dust weevil, Hypomeces pulviger, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Gold-dust weevils are covered with gold or shiny green scales, but in many, the scales have worn off, leaving the underlying black color to show through
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Excellent ID, Eric! Location: Bang Krang area of Thailand. Date: 15 March, 2024.

A broad-nosed weevil, possibly in the genus Catapionus, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
Photographed and identified to order by: Shefali Chaudhari. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Navsari Agricultural University, Navsari, Gujarat, India. Date: 10 December, 2018.

Exophthalmus cinerascens (no specific common name), subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Exophthalmus cinerascens has rows of pink spots along its elytra (wing covers), as well as pink markings on its thorax. In some individuals, the colors are more vibrant.
Photographed and identified as a weevil by: Micaela Della Bruna. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Sánchez, República Dominicana. Date: 11 November, 2019.

Imported long-horned weevil, Calomycterus setarius, subfamily Entiminae, family Curculionidae.
□ Native to Japan, the imported long-horned weevil is now very common in much of the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, where they have become agricultural pests on soybeans, alfalfa and other crops.
Photographed and identified as a weevil by: Carolina Torres. Identified to species by: Robert Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature’s Beaty Centre for Species Discovery. Thank you, Dr. Anderson! Location: Galesburg, Illinois, USA. Date: 30 June, 2018.

Green immigrant leaf weevil, Polydrusus formosus, subfamily Cyclominae, family Curculionidae.
□ The round scales give this little green immigrant leaf weevil its brilliant metallic-green color. Some of the scales in this individual have worn off — as they sometimes do — giving a peek at the dark-colored body underneath.
Photographed by: Paul Hinkley. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Date: 29 August, 2017.

Green immigrant leaf weevil, Polydrusus formosus, subfamily Cyclominae, family Curculionidae.
□ The green immigrant leaf weevil is a tiny weevil at just 5-6 mm (about 0.2 inches) long. This photo shows its clubbed antennae, which is a feature of this species.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.

Green immigrant leaf weevil, Polydrusus formosus, subfamily Cyclominae, family Curculionidae.
□ green immigrant leaf weevils are often associated with yellow birch trees (Betula alleghaniensis), but they can show up just about anywhere: on flowers, on windows, on tables. The photographer spotted this one on a lawn chair in his yard.
Photographed by: Bob McDevitt. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. Date: 1 July, 2020.

Weevil, probably a vegetable weevil, Listroderes costirostris, subfamily Cyclominae, family Curculionidae.
□ Native to South America, the vegetable weevil has been accidentally transported to other parts of the world. One of its most noticeable features is the large rostrum (the “nose”). This weevil will eat a wide variety of vegetables and other plants.
Photographed by: Lynne Nguyen. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Montclair, California, USA. Date: 26 March, 2016.
Lynne says, “I found it on my son’s diaper this morning. (It was a) tad less than 1/4 inch.”

An acorn and nut weevil, quite possibly Curculio pardalis (no specific common name), subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ The genus Curculio includes more than two dozen species in the United States, and many look quite similar. This could be Curculio pardalis (no specific common name).
Photographed by: Leah Gentry. Identified to genus by: entomologist Robert S. Anderson of the Canadian Museum of Nature. Thank you, Dr. Anderson! Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tallahassee, Leon County, Florida, USA. Date: 3 September 2015.
Leah says, “It was on my mailbox this afternoon! Mailbox sits under a water oak and several other trees.”

Acorn and Nut Weevil (Curculio proboscideus)

An acorn and nut weevil, quite possibly Curculio proboscideus (no specific common name), subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ My what big eyes you have! This is head-on, close-up photo of an acorn and nut weevil displays its almost soulful-looking eyes, as well as the amazingly long snout characteristic of the female of the species.
Photographed and identified by: Amber Bedard. Well done on the ID, Amber! Location: Flint, Michigan, USA. Date: 23 August, 2019.
Amber says, “They are rather cute!” KnowYourInsects.org says, “Great job with the ID, Amber!”

An acorn and Nut Weevil, quite possibly Curculio proboscideus (no specific common name), subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ This little acorn and nut weevil is just adorable and what a profile! The super-long snout is a characteristic of female: She pokes it into acorns, and once she makes the hole, she lays eggs inside.
Photographed by: Denise Rulason. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Frankenmuth, Michigan, USA. Date: 31 August, 2017.
Denise says, “Interesting bug I have never seen before.... I found her under an oak tree.”

European Curculionid Weevil (Rhinusa tetra)

European curculionid weevil, also known as a mullein weevil, Rhinusa tetra, subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ The European curculionid weevil is native to Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa, but is also now found in North and South America. It also goes by the name mullein weevil, because it eats the plant common mullein (Verbascum thapsus), a plant with large, soft, and fuzzy leaves (also sometimes jokingly called nature’s toilet paper).
□ Characteristics of the European curculionid weevil include the covering of short setae (insect “hairs”), and the beefy-looking femora (thighs).
Photographed by: Dave Delman, M.D. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Roslyn, New York, USA. Date: 10 June, 2018.

Graptus triguttatus (no specific common name), subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ Graptus triguttatus has a V-shaped marking toward the rear of its elytra (wing covers), and an additional two broad blotches of lighter color toward the middle. These markings are rather faint on this individual, but they are more pronounced on others.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwestern Greece. Date: January, 2021.

Cionus albopunctatus (no specific common name), subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ Cionus albopunctatus is a black weevil with larger white spots that sit on top of raised ridges. In some individuals, the center row of smaller spots are orange.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nice ID, Eric! Location: Nonthaburi, Thailand. Date: 27 May, 2024.

Unidentified weevil, possibly in the tribe Mecinini, subfamily Curculioninae, family Curculionidae.
□ One possibility for the identification of this weevil is the tribe Mecinini. Members of this tribe are covered with setae (insect “hairs”) on its pronotum (shield covering its thorax). The setae look to be almost parted and combed.
Photographed by: Anne Bannatyne. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: west Scotland, UK. Date: 15 August, 2021.
Anne found this weevil along a coastal path.

White-margined weevil, Lixus albomarginatus, subfamily Lixinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The species name of this white-margined weevil is albomarginatus, which literally means white-margined. It has a flattened and oval silhouette and a slightly downward-curved snout, as do other members of the genus Lixus.
□ Note: It is sometimes listed under its older genus name Compsolixus.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwestern Greece. Date: 30 April, 2020.

Weevil, Coniocleonus pseudobliquus, subfamily Lixinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The brown swoosh marks help identify this species of weevil. It is usually found in dry areas, and lives throughout southern Europe and east into Turkey and Iraq.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwest Greece. Date: 22 June, 2022.
Yanni says, “I liked the beetle as it camouflaged so well on the ground. Must have been of old age, as it was missing a leg.”

Red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The red palm weevil comes in a variety of colors (including black with a red stripe), but this rust-colored variation is quite common in Cyprus where this photo was taken. These weevils can grow to about 3.3 cm (1.3 inches) long.
□ The red palm weevil is native from southern Asia and over to Papua New Guinea and nearby islands, but has now spread to other warm climates. For instance, it was first reported in southern California in 2010, but after a concerted effort to find and get rid of it, it was declared eradicated in January 2015 (University of California Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research).
Photographed and identified by: Katherine Toumbourou. Well done on the ID, Katherine! Location: Nicosia, Cyprus. Date: 16 May, 2018.
Katherine says, “Your wonderful website helped me identity a bug that flew through my window today.” She adds, “They’re a real problem both here and in the Middle East, and are classified as pests.”

Red palm weevil, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ These photos show the top and bottom views of this red palm weevil. Some individuals have fewer spots on the thorax, as shown elsewhere on this page. Notice the tiny red balls up near the head in the bottom view — they are phoretic mites (related to ticks and spiders) that use insects like buses: They climb aboard, take a ride, and hop off.
Photographed and identified to order by: Yanni Petropoulos. Location: On the mainland, Southwest Greece. Date: 19 April, 2020.
Yanni says, “Took a photo of this beautiful insect today (it visited our balcony). When I checked on it again after 5 minutes, it was upside down and pretending dead! I flipped it and after a while started moving again.”

Red palm weevil, larva, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The larvae of the red palm weevil feed on the interior of palm tree trunks, and if the tree has a substantial infestation of larvae, they can cause so much damage that the trunk may break. Often the larvae gnaw loud enough that they can be heard from a few feet away.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Thank you for the ID, Eric! Location: Prasat Nakhon Luang, Nakhon Luang, Thailand. Date: 5 May, 2022.

Palmetto weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Considered the largest weevil in North America, the palmetto weevil can grow to about 1.25 inches long (3.1 cm). This species has quite a bit of variability. For instance, this individual has considerable black markings on its head, while others have very little black on their heads, and still others are completely black. For more information on this pretty weevil (and to see some the variation in this species), click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed by: Jordan Knepper. Submitted by:Doug Knepper. Location: Tampa, Florida, USA. Date: 10 March, 2018.

Palmetto weevil, Rhynchophorus cruentatus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ These photos show the dorsal and ventral views of a palmetto weevil. See the photographer’s comments below.
□ The photographer notes that related and similar-looking species include the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), which is shown elsewhere on this page, and the red-stripe weevil (Rhynchophorus vulneratus), but they are not species of the United States, where this photo was taken. To see the red-stripe weevil, which appeared in the U.S. in 2010 and was subsequently eradicated in 2015, click here (Center for Invasive Species Research).
Photographed and identified by: Quo. Location: Treasure Coast, Florida, USA. Date: 13 June, 2021.
Quo says, “I rescued this beauty from my pool and it quickly netted my heart. Your website is where I identified this weevil and what got me to love bugs and pursue entomology as a hobby. Thank you for your and everyone’s contributions!!”

Agave or Sisal Weevil (Scyphophorus acupunctatus)

Sisal weevil, sometimes called an agave weevil, Scyphophorus acupunctatus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ This weevil is known as a sisal weevil because its host plant is a type of agave called sisal (Agave sisalana), which is often used to make twine or rope.
□ Note: This is now listed as part of the subfamily Dryophthorinae, which falls under the family Curculionidae. At one time, the Dryophthorinae was listed as its own family: Dryophthoridae.
Photographed by: Carlo Castoro. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands. Date: 7 January, 2018.

A weevil possibly in the genus Scyphophorus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ This weevil could possibly a member of the genus Scyphophorus. This individual was photographed on a cucumber plant, but it is not known particular cucumber pest. Unfortunately, keys and other identification resources for weevils in India are difficult to come by, so it remains only tentatively identified.
Photographed and identified to family by: Surabhika Panda. Identified to tentative genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Gunupur, Odisha, India. Date: 28 August, 2020.

Hunting billbug, Sphenophorus venatus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Some billbugs are quite dark, as seen here, while others are light brown with dark markings. All have the same body shape with a bulky thorax covered almost completely with small dimples, and similarly dimpled elytra (wing covers). Its long, thick snout looks somewhat like a bill, which contributes to its common name of billbug.
□ Hunting billbugs are fairly small, reaching only 11 mm (0.4 inches) in body length. Their larvae are pests of many grasses. To learn more, click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures”).
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nicely done on the ID, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 18 September, 2023.

A billbug in the genus Sphenophorus, possibly Sphenophorus latinasus (no specific common name), subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Little has been written about Sphenophorus latinasus (no specific common name), which suggests that it has not been found to be a major agricultural or landscaping pest (the squeaky wheel gets the grease!). More attention has been paid to a related species, called a bluegrass billbug (Sphenophorus parvulus) that is a pest in lawns.
Photographed and identified to family by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 25 May, 2020.

Sugarcane weevil borer (Rhabdoscelus obscurus)

Sugarcane weevil borer, cocoon and pupa, Rhabdoscelus obscurus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ This looks like the cocoon and pupa of a sugarcane weevil borer. The larva weaves fibers and frass (its excrement/feces) into a tightly constructed cocoon, which serves as its home once it transforms into a pupa and until it finally emerges as an adult. The photographer found two cocoons, and broke one open to reveal the pupa inside.
□ For a fuller description of this borer’s development, click here and see figure 7 (Hawaii Agricultural Experiment Station).
Photographed and identified to subfamily by: Annelies van Hagen. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lake Poso, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Date: 11 October, 2024.
Annelies found the two cocoons on the shore of the lake.

Rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ These close-up photos show excellent detail of this small rice weevil, even the punctate (dimpled) surface of the body and wings.
□ Adult female rice weevils will make a little hole in a bit of grain or a bean, deposit an egg inside, and then secrete some soon-hardening fluid over the hole to seal in the egg. The egg hatches, the larva begins eating the contents of the seed or bean, and when it becomes an adult, it chews its way out.
Photographed by: Amit Upadhyay. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Navi Mumbai, India. Date: 9 July, 2021.

Rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Rice weevils infest rice as well as several other grains, such as wheat and corn, and are sometimes known by the name lesser grain weevils. Check out the comment below.
Photographed by: Jim Coolbaugh, a retired U.S. Navy infectious disease research microbiologist. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: in the sea near Malaysia. Date: 24 November, 2017.
Jim says, “We are on a sailboat in Malaysia, and have an infestation of these insects. They are about 2 mm (0.8 inches) long, and they fly.” In an update, Jim says they found the source of the infestation: “They are coming from some stored, and thought-sealed pasta.... Out you weevils!”

Granary weevil in the genus Sitophilus, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Granary weevil is a generic name for a number of small weevils that infest grains, such as rice, wheat and corn, as the photographer discovered. Two of the most common are the rice weevil (Sitophilus oryzae) and the wheat weevil (Sitophilus granarius.
Photographed by: Robert E. Hilson. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bath, Ontario, Canada. Date: 17 March, 2021.
Robert found this weevil “in my kitchen after opening a frozen pumpkin-pecan pie and leaving it to thaw.” He adds, “We also discovered that our pet cat ‘Mr. Rusty Roufus’ is very good at detecting them.”

Banana stem weevil, Odoiporus longicollis, subfamily Dryophthorinae, family Curculionidae.
□ As adults, banana stem weevils may be 2.3-3.9 cm (1-1.5 inches) long, so they have quite a size range. They are pests of bananas, as well as plantains.
Photographed and identified to order by: Rukyya Siddique. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Pauri district Uttrakhand, India. Date: 9 June, 2020.

Weevil in the genus Brachycerus, subfamily Brachycerinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Weevils in this genus — Brachycerus — have sculpted backs. This one is reminiscent of an alligator. Most weevils have noticeably elbowed antennae, but this species has an unusual arched shape to each of its antennae.
□ One of the species in Greece, where this photo was taken, is Brachycerus rufipes, but the term rufipes means red-footed (actually referring to its red claws), and this one has black claws. Click on the photo above to zoom in and see the claws.
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwestern Greece. Date: 30 April, 2020.

A snout weevil in the genus Neoerethistes, subfamily Molytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Check out the curved snout on this handsome snout weevil. The tan-colored speckles on its back almost look like it was sprinkled with sticky sand.
Photographed by: Donna Sánchez. Identified to genus by: Macotulio Soto-Hernández, Instituto de Ecología, México. Location: Malinalco, México. Date: 9 July, 2017.

Sternuchopsis fabricii (no specific common name), subfamily Molytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Sternuchopsis fabricii is a handsome beetle with cream-colored markings on each side of its thorax and cream-colored rectangles on the reddish-and-black elytra (wing covers). Even the ridges on its elytra and small divots on its legs show up in this photo.
Photographed by: Yashraj Thakare. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Dombivli East, Thane, Maharashtra, India. Date: 26 October, 2023.

Conotrachelus posticatus (no specific common name), subfamily Molytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Conotrachelus posticatus has two little white dots on the back (just visible here). Some individuals will also have a light-colored band near the rear end. This one was on the blue tarp of a jump house (see comment below).
Photographed and identified to family by: Stephen Brown. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Houston, Texas, USA. Date: 23 April, 2020.
Stephen and his family spotted a whole collection of these weevils in the yard. He says, “We were just amazed at how many we saw after deflating the jump house.”

Cholus zonatus (no specific common name), subfamily Molytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ Cholus zonatus has bands across its elytra (wing covers). In some individuals, the bands are almost solid color, but in others (as seen here), the bands are more mottled.
Photographed and identified by: Ron Andrew. Well done on the ID, Ron! Location: St. Lucia. Date: 31 January, 2021.

A snout weevil in the genus Cholus, subfamily Molytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ This genus (Cholus) of snout weevil has many species, all a bit different in pattern — some with speckles (seen here), and some with spots, stripes or bands — but all have the same general body shape, including the long, curved snout. This one also has an orange-yellow ventral side.
Photographed and identified by: Paul Davis. Well done on the ID, Paul! Location: Borinquen Mountain Resort, Costa Rica. Date: 2016.

Rose curculio, Merhynchites bicolor, subfamily Rhynchitinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The rose curculio is mainly brick-red in color, but with black legs and a long, black proboscis. Another feature of this weevil is its pair of antennae. Most other weevils have antennae with a hinged joint so they can sharply bend like an elbow, but the rose curculio does not (no hinge, so sharp bending).
Photographed by: Dave Delman, M.D. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Roslyn, New York, USA. Date: 10 June, 2018.

Learning a bit of Latin can be useful. For example, maculatum is Latin for spotted, and many spotted insects have scientific names that include the word maculatum. Similarly, rhynch is Latin for snout, so a scientific name containing rhynch suggests the insect’s snout is an identifying feature.

Asian ambrosia beetle, Xylosandrus crassiusculus, subfamily Scolytinae, family Curculionidae.
□ The Asian ambrosia beetle (Xylosandrus crassiusculus) has spread around the world. This one was photogrtaphed in Jordan. It is known as a pest species because the adults and larvae infest a variety of fruit and hardwood trees. See the comment below.
□ For more information on the Asian ambrosia beetle, click here (Good Fruit Grower magazine).
Photographed by: Mohammed Altawayah. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Jordan. Date: 24 September, 2023.
Mohammed collected these beetles from a “nearby forest on infected oak and pine trees.”

Brentidae, the primitive weevils

Oak timberworm weevil, Arrhenodes minutus, male, subfamily Brentinae, family Brentidae.
□ To tell an adult male from an adult female oak timberworm weevil, look at the mouthparts. This male has a rather robust pair of jaws, whereas the female has an much narrower, elongate, tube-shaped beak.
Photographed by: Ray Chin. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Toronto, Canada. Date: 7 January, 2018.

Oak timberworm weevil, Arrhenodes minutus, male, subfamily Brentinae, family Brentidae.
□ The oak timberworm weevil gets its common name from the larvae, which look rather like worms and will bore into wood, especially oak.
Photographed by: Mary Freelove. Identified by: entomologist E. Richard Hoebeke with the University of Georgia Extension. Thank you, Rick! Location: northern Georgia, USA. Date: 30 April, 2016.

Oak timberworm weevil, Arrhenodes minutus, male, subfamily Brentinae, family Brentidae.
□ This adult oak timberworm weevil has a little less of the yellow markings on its elytra (wing covers) than is typical of this species.
Photographed and identified to order by: Jaymie Miller. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: middle Tennessee, USA. Date: 19 May, 2019.

Oak timberworm weevil, Arrhenodes minutus, female, subfamily Brentinae, family Brentidae.
□ This is the female oak timberworm weevil, which has differently shaped jaws than the male (pictured elsewhere on this page). They are ideal for digging tiny tunnels into the wood of oaks and other trees. She then lays one egg in each hole and and seals it up with a glue-like secretion mixed with her frass (feces). The larvae hatch and feed on the wood until they become adults.
Photographed by: Gina Marie. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: New Jersey, USA. Date: 9 June, 2021.

Lymexylidae, the ship timber beetles

Ship timber beetle (Atractocerus brasiliensis)

Atractocerus brasiliensis (no specific common name), female, subfamily Atractocerinae, family Lymexylidae.
□ These photos show the wings and the abdomen of a female ship timber beetle, specifically the species Atractocerus brasiliensis. Look closely to see what appear to be fungal spores in a sac at the rear of her abdomen. The female lays eggs in tunnels in wood (or under bark) and does a bit of farming: she deposits some of the fungal spores into the tunnels, the fungus grows, and her hatching larvae survive by eating the fungus.
Photographed by: Andi Dokats. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Elias Calles, north of Cabo San Lucas, Baja California. Date: 21 June, 2022.
Andi says this beetle was about 2 inches (5 cm) long, sitting in the desert “about a thousand miles south of San Diego.”

Ship Timber Beetle (Atractocerus brevicornis)

Atractocerus brevicornis (no specific common name), subfamily Atractocerinae, family Lymexylidae.
□ The photographer spread the broad, membranous hindwings on this long-dead Atractocerus brevicornis (see comment below). The forewings of this and other ship timber beetles are highly reduced and very difficult to see. This species, which is rarely encountered, has been little studied.
Photographed and identified by: Robert Carpenter. See Robert’s slow-motion nature video here. Location: Angola (Africa). Date: 1978.
Robert says this beetle was part of a bag of dead African insects — the rest were butterflies — that he purchased from a New York company back in 1978. It took him quite a while to identify it. Great job, Robert!

To learn more about the unusual-looking ship timber beetles, click here (BeetlesInTheBush.com).

Unidentified ship timber beetle, family Lymexylidae.
□ Ship timber beetles often hold their abdomens in a curled-up position as seen here. Notice the blue eyes on this one, and also that its elytra (wing covers) are tiny nubs, so its membranous hindwings are showing. In most beetles, the elytra fully cover the hindwings when they are not in use for flight. Click on the photo to zoom in and see the elytra.
Photographed by: Sarah Park. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bangui, Central African Republic. Date: 16 August, 2021.
Sarah says, “When I tried to get it to go on a piece of paper so I could bring it inside to get a better look at it, it clung to the screen, and flapped its mini-dragonfly sort of wings.”

Ship timber beetle, eggs, larvae and adult, family Lymexylidae.
□ Note the very unusual — and huge — eyes on the adult ship timber beetle in the two left photos. The bottom left photo shows just how long this beetle’s abdomen is.
□ The right photo is an aggregation of the ship timber beetle’s eggs and hatching larvae. Although they are called ship timber beetles, these insects will bore into living trees in addition to the wood of ships and other structures.
Photographed by: Jorge “Izzy” Irizarry. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Puerto Rico. Date: 29 September, 2015.
Of the adult, Jorge says it “was very loud when flying. It died, but before it did it laid around 100 eggs.”

Trogossitidae, the bark-gnawing beetles

Bark-Gnawing Beetle (Temnoscheila chlorodia)

Temnoscheila chlorodia (no specific common name), subfamily Trogossitinae, Trogossitidae.
□ Temnoscheila chlorodia is a member of the bark-gnawing beetle family. It has a characteristic little crease on its head between the eyes.
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. Well done on the ID, Robert! See Robert’s slow-motion insect videos here. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: 15 December, 2016.
Robert says, “Found under bark of dead box elder tree (Acer negundo).”

Temnoscheila chlorodia (no specific common name), subfamily Trogossitinae, Trogossitidae.
□ Temnoscheila chlorodia has a metallic appearance, and may be green, purplish-black, or bluish-black.
Photographed by: Aven Wright McIntosh. Submitted by: Preston French. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Eugene, Oregon, USA. Date: 25 May, 2020.

□ Many species of bark-gnawing beetles (in the family Trogossitidae) are fungus-eaters, and search for food by looking under tree bark or boring tunnels into wood.

Cleridae, the checkered beetles

Chariessa vestita (no specific common name), subfamily Peloniinae, family Cleridae.
□ A species of checkered beetle, Chariessa vestita has gray-blue elytra (wing covers), each with a large black blotch, but the most noticeable features are the brilliant orange-red legs, head and abdomen. It is a small beetle, reaching about a third of an inch (0.8 cm) in body length. To see additional photos of this beetle, click here (BugGuide.net).
□ This species does not reach much farther north than central Texas, where this photo was taken. It extends quite a way south though — at least to Costa Rica, possibly to northern South America. Its diet includes the eggs and larvae of wood-boring beetles (see comment below).
Photographed by: Jared Armstrong. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Houston, Texas, USA. Date: March, 2025.
Jared says he found several “on a freshly fallen log of ash wood.”

Ant beetle, also known as a European red-bellied clerid, Thanasimus formicarius, subfamily Clerinae, family Cleridae.
□ The ant beetle has strong jaws perfect for its diet: It crunches through the carapace of adult bark beetles (in the family Scolytidae), often first nipping off the bark beetles’ legs so they cannot run away. Ant beetles will also eat the larvae of bark beetles.
□ The ant beetle’s strong jaws serve in self-defense, too (see comment below).
Photographed by: Howard Toon. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Hathern, England, UK. Date: 22 March, 2019.
Howard says it was about 10 mm (0.4 inches) long. He adds, “I just felt a bite or a sting on my neck and caught this insect.”

Red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes, subfamily Korynetinae, family Cleridae.
□ A small insect at just 4.5 mm long (less than 0.2 inches), the red-legged ham beetle has a metallic blue-green back and reddish-brown to orange legs. Its antennae are also reddish-brown to orange with black, clubbed tips. To learn more, click here (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
Photographed by: Suzanne Cuomo. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Wyckoff, New Jersey, USA. Date: 22 March, 2019.

Red-legged ham beetle, Necrobia rufipes, subfamily Korynetinae, family Cleridae.
□ The photographer reports finding larvae of the red-legged ham beetle in a bag of dog food, and the adults nearby. These beetles eat meat products, particularly dried meat.
Photographed by: Gina Mastrogiovanni. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: New Jersey, USA. Date: 16 September, 2019.

Red-legged ham beetles have a varied diet that includes dried meat and fish, fly larvae/maggots, and even taxidermy mounts in museums.

Melyridae, the soft-winged flower beetles

Elytra is the scientific term for the wing covers — the forewings — of all beetles (the order Coleoptera). It is a Greek word for sheath, and refers to the forewings’ usually hardened, sheath-like construction. The elytra cover membranous hindwings that are folded below until they are needed for flight.

Soft-Winged Flower Beetle (Cordylepherus viridis)

Cordylepherus viridis (no specific common name), subfamily Malachiinae, family Melyridae.
□ Cordylepherus viridis is very similar to a malachite beetle (Malachius bipustulatus), and both are found in France, where this photo was taken. Cordylepherus viridis has an overall blue tint, while the malachite tends toward green. In addition, Cordylepherus viridis has a longer and more squared-off pronotum (shield covering its thorax). Both species have colored tips on their elytra (wing covers), and those tips are often red, but may be more of a yellow-orange, as shown above.
□ To see the malachite beetle, click here (NatureSpot.org).
Photographed and identified to family by: Eric Blehaut. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lille, France. Date: 11 June, 2023.

Soft-Winged Flower Beetle (Anthocomus equestris)

Anthocomus equestris (no specific common name), subfamily Malachiinae, family Melyridae.
□ Anthocomus equestris is an import to North America, where this photo was taken. It is a native Eurasian species.
Photographed by: Susan Reinhardt. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org Location: Bel Air, Maryland, USA. Date: 3 June, 2017.
Susan says, “This is an enlarged photo taken with my iPhone. To the naked eye it is much smaller and is long and thin.”

Anthicidae, the antlike flower beetles

Monoceros beetle, Notoxus desertus, subfamily Notoxinae, family Anthicidae.
□ The “horn” projecting forward over the head is a giveaway for the monoceros beetle. This beetle is one of the group often described as ant-like. In fact, the submitter described it as about the size of a pea or “small like an ant.” This beetle has two black spots on its back, plus a V-shaped band. See the description in the comment below.
Photographed by: Autumn Highstreet. Submitted by: J. H. Highstreet. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Michigan, USA. Date: 17 June, 2019.
J. H. says, “We have named it the Minecraft bug, since it looks like the creeper face in minecraft.”

□ The monoceros beetle and many other species in the subfamily Notoxinae lap up a secretion, called cantharidin, produced by blister/oil beetles (family Meloidae), which are posted elsewhere on this page. The cantharidin tastes bad to potential predators, so it serves a protective function.

AntLike Flower Beetle (Ischyropalpus spp.)

An antlike flower beetle in the genus Ischyropalpus, subfamily Anthicinae, family Anthicidae.
□ This shiny antlike flower beetle has deep-red hues on its rather lightbulb-shaped thorax (bulbous at the front and narrower at the rear), and long antennae.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Location: Bang Krang area of Thailand. Date: 14 October, 2023.

Tenebrionidae, the darkling beetles

Desert ironclad beetle, Asbolus verrucosus, subfamily Pimeliinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ The desert ironclad beetle is sometimes called a blue death-feigning beetle because it has a bluish tint in the right lighting, and because of its interesting defensive strategy: It rolls onto its back, sticks its legs out, and becomes rigid. Its tough exoskeleton plus the lack of movement usually makes predators lose interest, and once the coast is clear, the beetle loosens up, flips over, and continues on its way.
□ An beetle is another family — Zopheridae — is also known by the common name of ironclad beetle. To see it, click here.
Photographed by: Vanessa and Mike Perez. Location: south of Phoenix, Arizona, USA. Date: 26 September, 2020.
Vanessa and Mike say, “We found this in our backyard and have never seen anything like it.”

Morica planata (no specific common name), subfamily Pimeliinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Most beetles raise their elytra (wing covers), so they can unfold the pair of membranous flight wings underneath, and fly away. With Morica planata, however, the elytra are fused, and they cannot fly. Notice this species’ characteristic flattened pronotum (shield covering the thorax). Photographed and identified to order by: Sanne Houwing. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tibi, Valencia, Spain. Date: 14 June, 2018.
Sanne says, “We encountered this flatheaded fellow at breakfast in Spain.”

A darkling beetle in the genus Ocnodes, possibly Ocnodes scabricollis (no specific common name), subfamily Pimeliinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ This darkling beetle has the characteristic features of the family: 11-segmented antennae; big compound eyes that are each notched by a ridge (visible between the eye and the antenna in this photo); and a 5-5-4 arrangement of its tarsus (the last part of the leg before the final claw), which means that the tarsus of both its front and middle leg each have five segments, and the hind leg has four.
Photographed and identified to order by: David Meredith. Identified to tribe (Sepidiini) by: KnowYourInsects.org. Identified to genus and tentative species by: Marcin Jan Kamiński, Museum and Institute of Zoology of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Thank you, Dr. Kamiński! Location: Botswana, Africa. Date: November 2019.

A darkling beetle in the subfamily Pimeliinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Although it may look a bit like a squirrel storing nuts in its cheeks, the exaggerated sideward extensions of this darkling beetle’s head are a permanent part of its overall impressive structure.
Photographed by: Quintin Naude. Submitted and identified to suborder by: Dawid Naude (Quintin’s father). Location: Kuzuko Lodge, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Date: 17 February, 2019.
KnowYourInsects.org is thrilled when families work together! Great job, Quintin and Dawid!

Phaleria bimaculata (no specific common name), subfamily Diaperinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ The species name Phaleria bimaculata is bimaculata, which means two spots. Although they are faint on this individual, the spots are visible against the lighter brown of its elytra (wing covers).
Photographed by: Yanni Petropoulos. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwest Greece. Date: 8 August, 2021.

A darkling beetle, probably in the genus Eleodes, subfamily Tenebrioninae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Darkling beetles are sometimes called clown beetles, because of their habit of running around rather crazily (see the photographer’s comment below) and sometimes doing a headstand when they are threatened (note: another group of beetles is also known as clown beetles &mash; see Histeridae). Darkling beetles are also sometimes called stink beetles because they defend themselves by emitting a smelly defensive secretion.
Photographed and identified to order by: Thomas Langhans. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: city of South San Francisco, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 28 April, 2017.
Thomas says, “This one was in a real hurry to get somewhere. It was large, I can only guess now, perhaps about 4 cm (1.6 inches).”

A flour beetle in the genus Tribolium, subfamily Tenebrioninae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Two species of flour beetles are especially common in houses just about everywhere in the world: the red flour beetle (Tribolium castaneum) and the confused flour beetle (Tribolium confusum. These tiny beetles look almost identical, and both feed on flour and other grains people store in the pantry.
□ To learn more, click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed by: Fatima Amer. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Dammam, Eastern Province, Saudi Arabia. Date: 18 March, 2019.
Fatima says it was about 4 mm (0.15 inches) long. She has discovered a few in her apartment. KnowYourInsects.org says, “They are definitely good at sneaking into homes!”

□ Would you like a list of all the 175-plus beetle/Coleoptera families organized into one handy list? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Hairy darkling beetle, Lagria villosa, subfamily Lagriinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ The photographer found this hairy darkling beetle lying on its back (right photo), but it was able to right itself (left photo). Click on the photos to zoom in and see the little hairs/setae on the femur of each leg, and the setae on its head, thorax and elytra (wing covers) in the left photo.
□ Originally from Africa, which is where this photo was taken, this species is a crop pest. By 2020, it had spread to Europe — specifically to Finland — (journal article in Zootaxa).
Photographed by: Robert Armour. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Uganda. Date: 2 October, 2024.

Rough-haired lagria beetle, Lagria hirta, subfamily Lagriinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ The rough-haired lagria beetle is covered with coarse setae (insect “hairs”), which are particularly noticeable on its elytra (wing covers). Besides all the setae, the reddish elytra contrast with the dark, shiny thorax and head are good identifying features for this beetle.
□ Long and jagged antennae like those of this beetle are known as serrate antennae.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done on the ID, Eric! Location: Lille, France. Date: 22 June, 2023.

Many darkling beetles — but not all (see the frantic surface beetle) — are active only at night and therefore rarely seen. The darkling beetles’ family name of Tenebrionidae is derived from the Latin tenebrion, which means darkness or lover of darkness.

Frantic surface beetle in the genus Zophosis, subfamily Tentyriinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ As their common name suggests, frantic surface beetles are very active, notably in the hot midday sun when just about every other living thing is wisely taking shelter. (See comment below.) According to an article in the Journal of Tropical Ecology, frantic surface beetles only seek cooling shelter when their body temperature reaches near-lethal levels.
Spotted by: Declan Rademan. Photographed by: Neil Rademan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Clanwilliam, Western Cape, South Africa. Date: 23 November, 2020.
Neil says his son Declan had to chase this little beetle, which was “running around frantically.” He adds, “(Declan) got all excited about this tiny blue beetle.”

A darkling beetle in the genus Strongylium, possibly Strongylium erythrocephalum (no specific common name), subfamily Stenochiinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Among darkling beetles, this genus (Strongylium) is the largest with as many as a thousand species. All have the rather cylindrical body seen here, and many have partially red legs.
□ This might be Strongylium erythrocephalum (no specific common name), which typically has a body length of around 2.5 cm (1 inch).
Photographed by: Amir Hamzah Othman. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Subang Jaya, Malaysia. Date: 20 November, 2021.

A darkling beetle in the genus Strongylium, possibly Strongylium erythrocephalum (no specific common name), subfamily Stenochiinae, family Tenebrionidae.
□ Many beetles, including darkling beetles, are identified in part by the number of segments in their tarsi, or their “feet” (not the claws). To determine this, look carefully at the tarsi and count the number of segments in the front, middle and hind legs. Darkling beetles have the pattern 5-5-4: five tarsal segments in front and middle legs; and four in the hind leg.
Photographed by: Jessy Phuah. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Date: 18 September, 2020.
Jessy says it was about an inch (2.5 cm) long.

Meloidae, the blister beetles

Margined Blister Beetle (Epicauta pestifera)

Margined blister beetle, Epicauta pestifer, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The pronotum (shield covering its thorax) and each elytra (wing covers) of this margined blister beetle have light-colored outlines or margins. This beetle can do some damage to several garden plants, including potatoes and tomatoes.
Photographed by: Anonymous. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Adrian, Michigan, USA. Date: July, 2014.

A blister beetle in the genus Epicauta, possibly the spotted blister beetle, Epicauta maculata, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The spotted blister beetle is pale green, gray, or gray-beige with many small black polka dots. This, however, is a tentative identification as several species in this genus (Epicauta) look very similar.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Tommy Vick. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Fort Davis, Texas, USA. Date: 29 June, 2018.

Yellow-crescent blister beetle, Pyrota insulata , subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The yellow-crescent blister beetle often has thin slashes of orange toward the base of its two elytra (wing covers), along with an orange spot at the tip of each of its elytra. This one is a slightly different form with an orange-encircled spot at the base of each of its elytra, and no separate orange spot at the tip. To see the variety in this species, click here (a Texas Entomology website).
Photographed and identified by: Brenda Kirschner. Nice job on the ID, Brenda! Location: Stamford, Texas, USA. Date: 25 May, 2020.

Iron cross blister beetle, Tegrodera aloga, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Female iron cross blister beetles lay their eggs in the flower buds of Palo Verde trees (in the genus Parkinsonia). The hatching larvae latch onto a visiting digger bee (in the tribe Anthophorini), and ride with it to its nest, where the larvae drop off to begin eating the bee’s pollen and nectar, and offspring! When the beetles become adults, they fly off to mate and start the cycle all over again.
Photographed by: Sandy Moody. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mesa, Arizona, USA. Date: 12 May, 2021.

Orange Blister Beetle (Hycleus pustulata or Mylabris pustulata)

Orange blister beetle, Hycleus pustulata, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The orange blister beetle — and other blister beetles in this family — actually do cause blistering if they are handled. Note: This species is sometimes listed as in the genus Mylabris.
Photographed by: Ajay Antony. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamilnadu, India. Date: 24 May, 2017.

Orange blister beetle, Hycleus pustulata, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Notice the jaws and palps on this orange blister beetle. The palps are the small structures just below the jaws (they almost look like miniature antennae). The palps have taste receptors on them. Note: This species is sometimes listed in the genus Mylabris.
Photographed by: Shefali Chaudhari. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Gujarat, India. Date: 13 July, 2020.

Red-striped oil beetle, Berberomeloe majalis, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The red-striped oil beetle usually has distinctive and bright red or orange bands on its abdomen, but some are completely black. Regardless of the presence of stripes, this species secretes small drops of oil that can cause skin reactions in people, and illness if ingested. For more about this beetle, click here (Discover magazine).
Photographed and identified by: Paul Davis. Nice ID, Paul! Location: Monfrague National Park, Extremadura, Spain. Date: 9 May, 2019.

Bronze blister beetle, Lytta polita, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ This bronze blister beetle has beautiful, shiny-bronze elytra (the wings covering its abdomen); a purple-tinged head and pronotum (shield covering the thorax); and black and reddish-orange legs. When it is agitated, this beetle will release a substance, actually some of their blood/hemolymph, that can cause temporary blisters on a person’s skin.
Photographed by: Lisa Nolan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Florida, USA. Date: 30 December, 2019.

Say’s blister beetle, Lytta sayi, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Say’s blister beetles are sometimes seen munching on flowers, including irises (genus Iris), lupines (genus Lupinus) and lilacs (genus Syringa). Even with its somewhat ant-like head, it is quite a lovely beetle.
Photographed and identified to family by: Roger Olmstead. Nicely done, Roger! Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Woodstock, New Brunswick, Canada. Date: 26 May, 2022.
Roger says, “It’s more than 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length.”

Say’s blister beetle, Lytta sayi, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Say’s blister beetle looks almost identical to another species known only by its scientific name of Lytta aenea. A noticeable difference is the color of its elytra (the wings covering its back). Say’s blister beetle typically has black elytra, as seen above, while Lytta aenea has reddish-brown elytra. Lytta aenea is pictured elsewhere on this page.
Photographed by: Eric Besecker. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Vermont, USA. Date: 18 June, 2021.
Eric says he saw a different type of beetle in this family a couple of years earlier, but it was much larger.

Lytta aenea (no specific common name), subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Lytta aenea (no specific common name) has the species name aeneous, which means the color/luster of brass, and refers to its elytra (the wings covering its back).
□ Its larvae latch onto certain types of bees for a free ride to the bees’ nests, where they feed on the bees’ eggs and larvae. To learn more about these and other fascinating blister beetles click here (Ohio State University).
Photographed and identified to genus by: John Hoagland. Nicely done, John! Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Louisville, Kentucky, USA. Date: 12 April, 2021.
John says, “Found three this morning.”

Nuttall’s blister beetle, Lytta nuttalli, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Nuttall’s blister beetle is a gorgeous beetle with a metallic head and thorax, as well as abdomen (just visible above); and purple elytra (wing covers). And it is large — see the photographer’s comment below. This species eats rapeseed (Brassica napus), a yellow-flowered crop often grown in Canada to make into cooking oil.
□ The male courts the female by brushing his antennae against hers, and then wiggling his abdomen so the long bristles on the rear underside of his abdomen sweep against the tips of her elytra and the forward part of her upper abdomen. For a more detailed description, click here (The Canadian Entomologist journal).
Photographed by: April Roch. Identified by:KnowYourInsects.org. Location: near Lloydminster in Alberta, Canada. Date: 28 June, 2019.
April says, “I saw this beautiful beetle in the early evening. It was about 2 inches long (5 cm) and that is not counting the antennae!”

A blister beetle in the Epicauta sericans group (no specific common name), subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ Occasionally, entomologists lump a number of species into a “group” which includes members of the same genus that are very difficult to separate into distinct species. An example is the Epicauta sericans group (or simply “sericans group”). The genus name of Epicauta is a combination of two Greek words that mean burning on the surface, and is a reference to an irritating secretion the beetle releases when it feels agitated.
Photographed and identified by: Anne Guelker. Well done on the ID, Anne! Location: Shannon County, Missouri Ozarks, USA. Date: 24 July, 2022.
Anne spotted this beetle chewing on the leaves of Baltic ivy (Hedera helix 'Baltica') around her home.

Oil beetles, mating pair, in the genus Meloe, possibly Meloe impressus (no specific common name), subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The photographer described the larger oil beetle (the female) as being approximately 1.5 inches (3.8 cm) long, and the smaller one (the male) at about 1.25 inches (3.2 cm) long. The size along suggests they may be the species Meloe impressus (no specific common name). See the photographer’s comment below.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Susan Anderson. Identified to tentative species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Bethesda, Maryland, USA. Date: 25 November, 2018.
Susan found this pair in her garden. She says they “seemed green in sunlight.”

An oil beetle, possibly a short-winged blister beetle, Meloe angusticollis, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ With their black to blue-black color and ant-like heads, oil beetles are sometimes mistaken for ants.
□ Click on this photo to zoom in and see the nice detail.
Photographed by: Alexandra Scheumann, WoodHeaven Photography. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Hurleyville, Sullivan County, New York, USA. Date: 20 October, 2017.

The “oil” of oil beetles is a substance they secrete from their joints. The substance contains cantharidin, also known as Spanish fly, that people have used as an aphrodisiac. To learn more, click here (McGill University).

An oil beetle, probably a black oil beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ This bright blue-colored insect is tentatively identified as a black oil beetle by two oil beetle experts (see below), but one of the experts notes that only very good view of the thorax can rule out the almost identical violet oil beetle (Meloe violaceus). To learn more about one of the differences, click here (WildlifeInsight.com)/
Photographed and identified as an oil beetle by: Matthew Rodda. Identified to to tentative species by: Carolina Bravo of the National Museum of Natural History of Spain and Mario García-París of the Spanish National Research Council. Thank you, Drs. Bravo and García-París! Location: Adjara, country of Georgia (between Western Asia and Eastern Europe). Date: 4 March, 2018.
Matthew found it in a rainforest.

Black oil beetle, Meloe proscarabaeus, male, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ These photos come from Serbia, which is home to at least 10 species of oil beetles. Based on the round shape of its thorax combined with the finely dimpled texture on its head, thorax and abdomen, this appears to be the species called a black oil beetle.
□ The right photo shows a yellow smear of hemolymph (its blood), which the beetle excretes from its joints when it feels threatened.
Photographed and identified to genus by: Tracey Tarbuck. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Rudnik Mountain, central Serbia. Date: 14 February, 2025.
Tracey is a recent transplant to Serbia, and says, “I am learning so much about nature since I moved here! ”

□ A bird (a white-breasted nuthatch) makes use of the oil beetle’s repellant secretions by grasping the beetle in its bill and rubbing it on the outside of its nest, which apparently fends off egg-nabbing squirrels. To read more about this observation, click here (The Auk journal, now named Ornithology).

Oil beetles in the genus Meloe, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
Photographed by: Chris G. Briggs, Sr. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: northern Muskegon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 5 October, 2015.

An oil beetle in the genus Meloe, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ From this photo, it may look like this oil beetle’s hind legs sprout from the abdomen, but all six of its legs arise from its thorax (the narrow section behind the head). This is true of all adult insects: the legs and wings all attach to the thorax.
Photographed and identified by: Josh Bozarth. Well done on the ID, Josh! Location: Proud Lake Recreation Area, Wixom, Michigan, USA. Date: 31 October, 2018.

An oil beetle in the genus Meloe, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ When disturbed, oil beetles release a bad-tasting fluid from their joints (click on the photo to zoom in and see the brown droplets). This is sometimes called “reflex bleeding.” Another feature common to oil beetles is the shape of the thorax, which is considerably narrower than the abdomen and also narrower than the head.
Photographed by: Pat (no last name given). Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Belding, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 October, 2014.

An oil beetle in the genus Meloe, subfamily Meloinae, family Meloidae.
□ The photographer described this oil beetle beautifully: “black with a dashing turquoise sheen and short elytra.” Its body is about 0.75 inches (1.9 cm) long.
Photographed and identified to order by: Victoria Meller. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kensington Metropark, Milford Township, Michigan, USA. Date: 27 September, 2020.

Flame-shouldered blister beetle, Sitaris muralis, subfamily Nemognathinae, family Meloidae.
□ The flame-shouldered blister beetle is found in small pockets in Europe, including infrequent sightings in the UK, where this one was photographed. This image shows its elytra (wing covers) lifted to expose the all-black, membranous flight wings below.
Photographed by: Alexander Tonkinson. Submitted by: Jessamie Tonkinson. Identified by: Dave Hare and KnowYourInsects.org. Thank you, Dave! Location: Wiltshire, UK. Date: 11 August, 2017.
Jessamie says she saw this one buzzing around the back wall of her house in the garden. She notes that it had most of its wings exposed, and was roughly 12 mm (about 0.5 inches) in length. Her husband snapped the photo.

Oedemeridae, the false blister beetles

Swollen-Thighed Beetle (Oedemera nobilis)

Swollen-thighed beetles, also known as thick-legged flower beetles, Oedemera nobilis, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ These swollen-thighed beetles each have a lovely copper thorax and head. The male (left photo) has an enlarged femur (“thigh”) on each of its hind legs. The female (right photo) has slender legs.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Well done on the ID, Jean-Louis! Location: Oxford, England, UK. Date: 27 May, 2019, for the female; and 29 May, 2019, for the male.

Swollen-thighed beetle, also known as a thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis, male, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ The femurs on the hind legs of this male swollen-thighed beetle almost look like they have been inflated with a bicycle tire pump. The metallic green — a slightly different hue on the head and thorax — is quite eye-catching.
Photographed and identified by: Melanie Pritchard. Nice ID, Melanie! Location: Lousã, Portugal. Date: 15 May, 2020.

□ Swollen-thighed beetles are also sometimes called false oil beetles. The “oil” part of the name refers to the oil-like shine on their bodies.

Swollen-thighed beetle, also known as a thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis, female, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ A feature of the swollen-thighed beetle is that its elytra (wing covers) do not entirely cover the abdomen, as shown in this photo. A similar-looking beetle is the lesser thick-legged flower beetle (Ischnomera cyanea), but it lacks the gap between the elytra.
Photographed by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 1 August, 2018.

Swollen-thighed beetle, also known as a thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis, female, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ The swollen-thighed beetle is a brilliant green. The closely related Oedemera lurida (no specific common name) also makes its home in the UK, where this photo was taken, but it is gray-green in color.
Photographed by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 17 May, 2020.
Bryan notes that this species is sometimes known as false oil beetle.

Swollen-thighed beetle, also known as a thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis, female, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ Swollen-thighed beetles are frequently spotted upon flowerheads on sunny days from spring through early fall. Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nicely done with the ID, Eric! Location: Lille, France. Date: 16 June, 2023.

Swollen-thighed beetle, also known as a thick-legged flower beetle, Oedemera nobilis, female, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ This swollen-thighed beetle nearly sparkles, so be sure to click on the photo to get an enlarged view (and then click a second time to really zoom in). Both the male and female have metallic bodies, which are usually green (as seen here), but sometimes are blue or purple.
Photographed and identified by: Jean-Louis Metzger. Nice ID, Jean-Louis! Location: St. Pée-sur-Nivelle, France. Date: 21 May, 2018.
Jean-Louis photographed this beautiful beetle in the garden.

Wharf borer, Nacerdes melanura, subfamily Oedemerinae, family Oedemeridae.
□ Wharf borer larvae bore long tunnels into decaying wood, often in wharfs, but anywhere they can find moist wood. The adults only live a week, and they usually emerge all at once.
Photographed and identified to order by: Mattias Lindstedt. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: southern Spain. Date: 9 June, 2018.
Mattias says, “Length without antennas approx. 2 cm.” That’s a bit less than an inch long.

□ Would you like a list of all the 175-plus beetle/Coleoptera families organized into one handy list? We made one for you! To see it, click here.

Mordellidae, the pintail beetles or tumbling flower beetles

A tumbling flower beetle in the genus Mordella, subfamily Mordellinae, family Mordellidae.
□ This is a close-up of one of a pair of tumbling flower beetles the photographer found on a Queen Anne’s lace plant(Daucus carota), also known as wild carrot. See identification information in the comment below.
Photographed by: Ed Hendrickson. Identified to genus by: entomologist Enrico Ruzzier of the Natural History Museum in London, UK. Location: North Carolina, USA. Date: 5 May, 2018.
Entomologist Enrico Ruzzier noted that it is “impossible to identify at species level without genitalia dissection.” He made the identification of this photo while doing field work in Cuba. Thank you for the ID!

A tumbling flower beetle in the genus Mordella, subfamily Mordellinae, family Mordellidae.
□ This tumbling flower beetle has a humped thorax, a tapered abdomen, and a head that hangs downward.
□ Tumbling flower beetles do actually tumble. When one feels threatened, it does a little jump/tumble maneuver to get itself into a better position so it can fly away to safety.
Photographed by: Denise Rulason. Identified to genus by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mayville, Michigan, USA. Date: 2018.

A pintail beetle in the genus Hoshihananomia, subfamily Mordellinae, family Mordellidae.
□ The photographer described this polka-dotted pintail beetle as “about 1 cm (0.4 inches) long with pointed spike at end.” See identification information in the comment below.
Photographed by: Chandan Kumar. Identified to genus by: entomologist Enrico Ruzzier of the Natural History Museum in London, UK. Location: Kunustoria Colliery, West Bengal, India. Date: 5 May, 2018.
Entomologist Enrico Ruzzier notes that it is “impossible to identify at species level without genitalia dissection.” He made the identification of this photo while doing field work in Cuba. Thank you for the ID!

Mordellid in the family Mordellidae.
□ This mordellid beetle was sharing a flower with a swollen-thighed beetle. Swollen-thighed beetles are shown elsewhere on this page.
Photographed by: Melanie Pritchard. Identified to family by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Lousã, Portugal. Date: 15 May, 2020.

Zopheridae, the ironclad beetles and the cylindrical bark beetles

Southwestern ironclad beetle, Zopherus nodulosus, subfamily Zopherinae, family Zopheridae.
□ If they are touched or feel threatened, southwestern ironclad beetles will draw in their legs and play dead. They are quite impressive beetles in color and size, and can reach about 2 inches (5 cm) long.
Photographed by: Cedia Miller. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Unknown. Date: 2 May, 2016.

□ Another family of insects includes a beetle with the common name of ironclad beetle. It is the desert ironclad beetle (Asbolus verrucosus), and is in the darkling beetle family, Tenebrionidae. To see it, click here (elsewhere on this page).

Coccinellidae, the ladybugs or ladybird beetles

Yellow-crested aegis, Egius platycephalus, subfamily Chilocorinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The yellow-crested aegis is distinguished by its flat-black coloration with a contrasting yellow pronotum. It eats pest-damaging aphids and scale insects.
□ The yellow-crested aegis is an introduced species in Florida (where this one was photographed), first recorded in that state in 2013. To learn more about this little beauty (only about 4mm or 0.17 inches long), click here (University of Florida “Featured Creatures” website).
Photographed and identified to family by: Heather Collazo. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: West Palm Beach, Florida, USA. Date: 5 March, 2020.
Heather says, “This is the second I have seen in the past three months.”

Exochomus childreni (no specific common name), subfamily Chilocorinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This species of ladybug has no official common name of its own, so the photographer proposed “minilady” because it was “small enough to be on an aphid’s dinner plate” (see his comment below).
□ It has a black head and thorax, and dark orange to brown elytra (wing covers) with black blotches on the ends and often black blotches toward the front of its elytra.
Photographed and identified to family by: Marv Goldberg. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 25 May, 2020.
Marv says, “This huge beast was about 1/8 inch (3 mm). I wasn’t even sure it was an insect, so I had to photograph it.”

Pine ladybird beetle, Exochomus quadripustulatus, subfamily Chilocorinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The two large red spots on this pine ladybird beetle have a distinctive comma-like shape. It also has a pair of smaller red spots behind the two large ones. As its name suggests, it is frequently found in pine forests.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Nicely done on the ID, Eric! Location: Lille, France. Date: 7 June, 2023.

Cactus ladybug, sometimes called a cactus lady beetle, pupa, Chilocorus cacti, subfamily Chilocorinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Once this pupa of a cactus ladybug is ready to become an adult, the back will split open and the adult will emerge. To see an adult emerging from the pupa, click here (BugGuide).
□ To see the adult, which is black with two large red spots, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed by: Jack Slatter. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Emory, Texas, USA. Date: 8 August, 2020.
Jack spotted this pupa while repairing the eave on his house.

Heather ladybird beetle, Chilocorus bipustulatus, subfamily Chilocorinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The heather ladybird beetle is dark brown or purplish brown (sometimes appearing black) with two red spots on its elytra (wing covers). Some individuals may have three red spots instead, or spots that bleed into one another to appear as a rectangular blotch. It is used to control pest scale insects (see comment below).
Photographed by: Mohammed Al-Tawayah. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: north of Jordan. Date: April 2021.
Mohammed says he found this beetle in cactus plants infested with cochineal scale insects. To learn more about cochineal scale insects, click here (University of California website).

Seven-Spot Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella septempunctata)

Seven-spot ladybird beetle/ladybug, larva Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The seven-spot ladybird beetle does indeed have seven spots: three smaller spots on each of the elytra (wing covers) and one larger one that spreads onto the front of both elytra (between the two white spots). This is quite a common species in Europe.
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Well done, Bryan! Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: unknown.

Seven-spot ladybird beetle/ladybug, Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This head-on view of the seven-spot ladybug (called a ladybird beetle in the UK) shows the pair of small white dots on its head, the larger white spots on either side of its pronotum (shield covering the thorax), and the pair of white spots just behind the pronotum.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size image here Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 4 November, 2018.

Seven-spot ladybird beetle/ladybug, larva Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Occasionally, seven-spot ladybird beetles (like this one) have only faint white spots just behind the thorax. Compare this one to others pictured on this page.
Photographed by: Mark Andersen. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Central Minnesota, USA. Date: 8 September, 2021.

Seven-spot ladybird beetle/ladybug, larva, Coccinella septempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The larva of the seven-spot ladybug can be distinguished from other ladybug larvae by the red markings on its abdomen. It has no red markings past the fourth abdominal segment (numbered abdominal segments are noted as A1, A2, A3, etc.; the three segments of the thorax are labeled as T1, T2 and T3).
□ Gardeners like seven-spot ladybug larvae because they prey on plant-damaging aphids. A close look at these photos will reveal an aphid crawling on this larva’s back.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s original, full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 12 March, 2018.

Three-banded ladybug (Coccinella trifasciata perplexa)

Three-banded ladybug/ladybird beetle, Coccinella trifasciata perplexa, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ There are two subspecies of three-banded ladybugs in the U.S. This is Coccinella trifasciata perplexa, which was photographed in Michigan. It has three (often broken) black bands across either yellow or orange elytra (wing covers).
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.
Leslie says, “Such a pretty little ladybug!”

Three-banded ladybug (Coccinella trifasciata subversa)

Three-banded ladybug/ladybird beetle, Coccinella trifasciata subversa, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This subspecies of three-banded ladybug (Coccinella trifasciata subversa) lives along the west coast of the U.S. and southern Canada. It has no more than one wide black band (and sometimes none) across its elytra (wing covers). This compares to the other subspecies (Coccinella trifasciata perplexa), seen elsewhere on this page.
□ The similar-looking transverse ladybug (Coccinella transversoguttata) has a slightly different pattern on its pronotum (shield covering the thorax). To see the transverse ladybug, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See his full-size photos here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California. Date: 20 February, 2023.
Thomas says, “First thing I noticed about it was how small it was compared to other lady beetles I see around here, at least half the size.”

California Ladybird Beetle (Coccinella californica)

California ladybird beetle/ladybug, larva, Coccinella californica, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This California ladybird beetle has an understated sophistication with its single black stripe down the middle. Compare it to the spotless ladybug (Cycloneda sanguinea) pictured elsewhere on this page.
□ It lives near the North American Pacific coast from California up through Oregon and Washington and a short distance into British Columbia.
Photographed and identified to family by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 26 March, 2022.
Thomas (who moved to California a while back) says this photo of a California ladybird in his yard “might prove that I actually live in California; that I am not just ‘California Dreamin’ like I used to do so many years ago!”

14-spot ladybird beetle, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This 14-spot ladybird beetle is sometimes called a chessboard ladybug, and with this individual’s pattern, it is easy to see why.
□ This species zips through its development. It can take less than two weeks for it to go from egg to larva to pupa to adult. To read more about this beetle, click here (UK Beetles).
Photographed and identified by: Diana Luntena. Nicely done, Diana! Location: Riga, Latvia. Date: 10 August, 2023.

14-spot ladybird beetle, Propylea quatuordecimpunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The spots on the back of a 14-spot ladybird beetle often run together, as shown in the photo above. To see the variation within this species, click here (on naturespot.org.uk).
Photographed and identified to family by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 11 May, 2019.

Orange ladybird beetle, Halyzia sedecimguttata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Orange ladybird beetles were once quite rare in the UK, but are now becoming more common.
Photographed and identified by: Yvonne Ugarte. Well done, Yvonne! Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Date: 17 October, 2016.
Yvonne says, “I do not see these very often. It has been very mild so far though (this fall).”

The word sanguinea — or variations of it — come up now and then in scientific names of insects. It refers to a blood-red color, and comes from the Latin word sanguis, which means blood.

Spotless Lady Beetle (Cycloneda sanguinea)

Spotless ladybug, Cycloneda sanguinea, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Not surprisingly, the spotless ladybug lacks spots on the elytra (wing covers). Because of the red-orange color of the elytra, spotless ladybugs are sometimes called blood-red ladybugs.
Photographed by: Marv Goldberg. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Tamarac, Florida, USA. Date: 5 April, 2019.
Marv says, “I don’t believe I ever saw a no-spotted ladybug before (I swear, I didn’t paint it).”

Spotless ladybug, Cycloneda sanguinea, female, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is a female spotless ladybug, and she can be distinguished from the male by the pattern on the pronotum (shield covering the thorax). In the male, the white outline continues all the way around the front of the pronotum and he also has a white line partially down the center of the pronotum. To see the male, click here (BugGuide). In the female, the white outline is broken and she has no central white line — the left photo shows that perfectly!
Photographed and identified by: Thomas Langhans. Nicely done, Thomas! See Thomas’s full-size images here and here. Location: city of San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 27 August, 2022.
Thomas says this website helped him identify this ladybug. KnowYourInsects.org is very happy about that!

Spotless ladybug, larva, Cycloneda sanguinea, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is the larva of the spotless ladybug. The adult is pictured elsewhere on this page.
Photographed by: Sue Sifford. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Gulf Coast of Texas near Galveston, USA. Date: 1 March, 2017.
Sue says, “Found it on our orange tree.”

20-Spotted Lady Beetle (Psyllobora vigintimaculata)

20-spotted lady bug, Psyllobora vigintimaculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The design on this 20-spotted lady bug has a splotchy pattern of brown and slightly lighter brown on its elytra (wing covers). This design is only seen among individuals in California (where this photo was taken). Outside California, individuals in this species have separate brown or black spots, and the white background occasionally has a pale-orange tint.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See full-size photos (clockwise from upper left) here, here, and here. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California. Date: 4 July, 2021.
Thomas said it was only about 2 mm (0.08 inches) long.

20-Spotted Ladybird Beetle (Psyllobora vigintimaculata)

20-spotted ladybug/ladybird beetle, Psyllobora vigintimaculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ All of the 20-spotted lady bugs in California have this pattern. To see what they look like in other parts of their range, click here (BugGuide) or click here (BugGuide).
Photographed and identified by: Damian Duron. Well done, Damian! Location: Watsonville, California, USA. Date: 19 October, 2017.
Damian says, “This guy is itty bitty, it’s around 5 mm (?). That was taken on my very old Formica counter.” KnowYourInsects.org replies, “Nice estimation on size, Damian! This beetle is indeed tiny, growing to about 3 mm long.”

15-spotted ladybug/ladybird beetle), Anatis labiculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is the typical color and pattern of the 15-spotted ladybug: 15 black spots on a light-gray (sometimes orangish) background with the orange line down the middle of the back. Other entries on this page show how the coloration darkens with age.
Photographed by: Denise Rulason. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Interlochen, Michigan, USA. Date: 23 June, 2018.

15-spotted ladybug/ladybird beetle), Anatis labiculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Typically, the 15-spotted ladybug indeed has 15 black spots on a light-gray to orange background. As they age, however, they sometimes become quite dark, like this one, although the black spots are still visible.
Photographed by: Jane Weaver. Submitted by: Lisa Hechler. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Algonquin Lake, Hastings, Michigan, USA. Date: 5 May, 2018.

15-spotted ladybug/ladybird beetle), Anatis labiculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is another older 15-spotted ladybug with even darker coloration than the previous photo.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.
Leslie says, “I met a woman who told me she was seeing ticks all over the place, and it turned out to be these brownish-black ladybugs!”

Many myths surround ladybugs. One is that ladybugs can make wishes come true: Hold a ladybug in the hand, make a wish, and watch it fly off. The granted wish will come from whatever direction the ladybug flew.

Eye-spotted ladybug, Anatis mali, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This eye-spotted ladybug has lots of white-encircled eye spots. Some individuals are more orange or more brown, and some have black spots with only minimal or no white outlining.
Photographed by: Eda Walter. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Alberta, Canada. Date: 30 May, 2022.

Eye-spotted ladybug, pupa, Anatis mali, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Beetles go through four phases: egg, larva, pupa, adult. This is the pupa, likely of an eye-spotted ladybug. As seen in the left photo, the pupa will often attach one end to a surface, usually a leaf or stem, but in this case man-made material. To see a great time-lapse video of a ladybug going through its four stages here (YouTube video).
Photographed by: Amanda Russell. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Camillus, New York, USA. Date: 3 July, 2020.
Amanda says, “I’ve never seen a ladybug pupa before, but it looked really cool.”

Ashy gray lady beetle, Olla v-nigrum, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The ashy gray lady beetle’s scientific name is Olla v-nigrum, which describes the V on its pronotum (shield covering the thorax) and its color (nigrum is Latin for black). In some individuals, the base of the V is separated. In others, the whole color scheme is different: nearly all black with a big red blotch on both elytra (wing covers). To see one of the black variants, click here (Bugguide.net).
Photographed and identified by: Robert E. Carpenter. Nicely done, Robert! See Robert’s slow-motion nature video here. Location: Kerrville, Texas, USA. Date: 13 July, 2024.

Two-spot ladybird beetle, Adalia bipunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The two-spot ladybird beetle has a wide range of patterns, some red with two little black spots, some orange with more than a dozen spots, and some like this one: black with only a few red markings.
Photographed by: Diana. Location: Riga, Latvia. Date: Date unknown.

10-spot ladybird beetle, Adalia decempunctata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The 10-spot ladybird beetle is quite a variable species. This specimen has 10 spots, but not all of them do. To see the considerable variation within this species, click here (on naturespot.org.uk).
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Well done, Bryan! Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 2 January, 2018.
Bryan says, “Looks like a tortoise, but it’s only 4mm long! Two shots of it, one with wings partly unfurled.”

Subvittate ladybug, Myzia subvittata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Some subvittate ladybugs tend to be more yellow (like this one) while others are more orange, and the amount of black streaking also varies quite a bit. They all, however, have two white blotches on the pronotum (shield covering the thorax), and most have two, small, white spots just behind the pronotum (as seen above).
Photographed by: Carole Martens. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Date: 28 July, 2020.

Six-Spotted Zigzag Ladybird Beetle (Cheilomenus sexmaculata)

Six-spotted zigzag ladybird beetle, or zigzag beetle, Cheilomenus sexmaculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Six markings with four in a zigzag pattern are the hallmark of the aptly named six-spotted zigzag ladybird beetle. In some cases, the background color is cream (as seen here), and in others, it is orange or red.
□ Like many ladybird beetle/ladybug species, six-spotted zigzag ladybird beetles have aphids on the menu, and are being studied as a potential biocontrol agent (PLoS journal).
Photographed by: Safeena Khan. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Mumbai Suburban, Maharashtra, India. Date: 18 February, 2023.

Six-spotted zigzag ladybird beetle, Cheilomenes sexmaculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Some ladybugs/ladybird beetle species have different morphs, or outward appearances. This is true of the six-spotted zigzag ladybird beetle. A common morph, seen above, typically has six black markings its elytra (the wing covers). Other morphs include one without the markings, and another with elytra that are black with four small red markings.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done on the ID, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 4 October, 2023.

Sulfurous lady beetle, Cheilomenes sulphurea, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The sulfurous lady beetle is black with either yellow or creamy-white spots, and a smear of pink or red on the side spots. The amount of the smear varies between individuals.
Photographed and identified to family by: Sarah Park. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Central African Republic. Date: 19 February, 2024.

Eastern 10-Spotted Ladybird Beetle (Bothrocalvia pupillata)

Eastern 10-spotted ladybird beetle, larva, Bothrocalvia pupillata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is the larva of an eastern 10-spotted ladybird beetle, not to be confused with the 10-spot ladybird beetle, (Adalia decempunctata), shown elsewhere on this page. The pattern of large and small black spots may be on a background of white (as seen here), orange, yellow or a combination of white, orange and/or yellow.
□ The eastern 10-spotted ladybird beetle is a native of Hong Kong, but has been intentionally introduced to Hawaii, where this photo was taken, to combat aphids.
Photographed by: Christian Moratin. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Heeia, Oahu, Hawaii, USA. Date: 26 May, 2020.

Spotted pink lady beetle, Coleomegilla maculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The spotted pink lady beetle has a less-round silhouette than typical ladybugs. Sometimes called a 12-spotted lady beetle, it preys on aphids as well as the larvae of Colorado potato beetles. Unusually, some individuals can subsist as vegetarians, surviving only on pollen.
Photographed by: Nicky Schauder. Check out the Schauders’ Permaculture Gardens program. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Date: 19 July, 2023.

The Amateur Entomologists Society notes that the name ladybird beetle dates to the Middle Ages when they were called the “beetle of Our Lady” because paintings of the day often depicted the Virgin Mary wearing red clothing, and many of these beetle species are red. For more, click here.

Harlequin ladybird beetle (Harmonia axyridis)

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Harlequin ladybird beetles come in a wide range of color patterns, but this is one of the most common. This species is native to eastern Asia, and was purposely introduced to Europe as well as North America to control pests, such as aphids. It is now common in its new environs.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This harlequin ladybird beetle has white “cheeks” (actually the sides of the pronotum), while many other individuals in this species are decorated with a white “W.” See the other photos of this page for some of the wide variation in colors and patterns within this species.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This harlequin ladybird beetle has minimal spotting, while some other members of this species have 20 or more spots.
Photographed and identified by: Leslie Mertz. Location: Houghton Lake, Roscommon County, Michigan, USA. Date: 7 July, 2017.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ Although native to Southeast Asia, harlequin ladybird beetles are now found in North and South America, throughout Europe and Asia, and in Africa.
Photographed by: Yvonne Ugarte. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK. Date: 17 October, 2016.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is one of the widely varying color/pattern variations of the harlequin ladybird beetles. It bears little resemblance to the more typical black-spotted orange ones!
Photographed by: Yanni Patropolus. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: mainland of southwest Greece. Date: 12 February, 2023.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The photographer noted that harlequin ladybird beetles are feared to cause sexually transmitted diseases (see his comment below). Is it true? To find out, click here.
Photographed and identified by: Bryan Wenham-Baker. Well done, Bryan! Location: Ivybridge, South Hams, South Devon, England, UK. Date: 11 October, 2018.
Bryan says, “In certain UK areas, Manchester, Birmingham, Loughborough and Gloucester as example towns, there are swarms of harlequins, extra spots, or black, invading various premises including people’s houses. Residents are concerned about their carrying of STDs, but authorities (are) trying to educate people that they are not harmful to humans.”

Asian Ladybird Beetles (Harmonia axyridis)

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The wide color variation among harlequin ladybird beetles is evident in this swarm on an apple. To see even more of the variety in this species, click here (BugGuide).
Photographed and identified as ladybugs by: John Hayes. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Maple Park, Illinois, USA. Date: 21 October, 2017.

Asian Ladybird Beetle Larva (Harmonia axyridis)

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This larva of a Harlequin ladybird beetle shows its typical orange-and-black appearance.
Photographed by: Dick Ford. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Marsolan, Midi-Pyrénées, southwest France. Date: 28 May, 2017.
Dick says, “I live in southwest France, where we have been devastated by the box tree moth caterpillar (Cydalima perspectalis) which is gobbling up box hedges throughout the countryside. Searching for the beastly thing in my box hedge I came across this chap.” To see the adult box tree moth, click here (KnowYourInsects moth page).

Ladybug, larva, likely the Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This larva was about the size of a large grain of rice. It is likely a harlequin ladybird beetle.
Photographed by: Rhonda Baxter. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Dearborn, Michigan, USA. Date: 8 June, 2016.
Rhonda says, “The larva survived and grew! I put it out on my rosebush. I was wondering if it made it through to an adult today, and as I was eating my dinner, this ladybug landed on my window screen across from me. It is the only one I have seen around my house at all this year. I am hoping it was the one I saved. I guess I am a crazy bug lady. LOL.”

Harlequin ladybug, pupa, (Harmonia axyridis)

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The photographer was fortunate to find the pupa of this harlequin ladybird beetle in her garden and then to see the adult emerge 11 days later. How cool is that! Newly emerged ladybird beetles will develop their adult coloration within a few hours.
Photographed by: Lynsey Popham. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Alton, England, UK. Date: 6 and 17 June, 2019.
Lynsey found the pupa in the garden.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The photographer captured this image of an adult, pupa (lower right) and discarded pupal casing of a Harlequin ladybird beetle.
Photographed and identified to family by: Sarah Park. Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: England, UK. Date: 12 July, 2018.

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
Photographed by: Carlo Castoro. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Duff Park, Monroeville, Pennsylvania, USA. Date: 4 October, 2014.

Ladybug, pupa, probably the Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, Harmonia axyridis, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
Photographed and identified to family by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 29 March, 2019.

Harlequin ladybird beetle larva (Harmonia axyridis)

Harlequin ladybird beetle, also known as an Asian multicolored ladybug, larva, Harmonia axyridis, family Coccinellidae.
Photographed by: Jason Frankel. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: West Virginia, USA. Date: 1 June, 2021.

Predaceous ladybird beetle, larva (Harmonia eucharis)

Harmonia eucharis (no specific common name), subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The larvae of Harmonia eucharis all have lovely cream-colored markings on the abdomen — almost like looped embroidery stitches. The adults of this species, however, come in multiple colors and patterns. To scan through photos showing some of variety in the adults, click here (iNaturalist).
Photographed by: Syed Gazanfar. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Kashmir, India. Date: 23 April, 2018.

Large spotted ladybird beetle, larva, Harmonia octomaculata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This is the larva of a large spotted ladybird beetle. The adult is red with black markings. To see it, click here (Cook Islands Biodiversity Database).
Photographed by: Carolyn Noake. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Moruya, New South Wales, Australia. Date: 12 June, 2020.

Greater Asian lady beetle, Harmonia dimidiata, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The greater Asian lady beetle has a variety of appearances, including this one with its orange “shoulders,” each centered with a black spot. Another common appearance is orange with a half-dozen black spots on each of its elytra (wing covers). It is large for a lady beetle: up to 0.4 inches (1 cm).
Photographed by: Nayab Wahab. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Swabi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. Date: 7 July, 2021.

Convergent Ladybug (Hippodamia convergens)

Convergent ladybug/convergent ladybird beetle, Hippodamia convergens, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The convergent ladybug is native to North America. This species has a black pronotum (shield covering the thorax) outlined in white, and decorated with a pair of white, slightly curved markings. See the red form of this beetle elsewhere on this page.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s original, full-size image here. Location: San Bruno, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 21 August, 2016.

Convergent ladybug/convergent ladybird beetle, Hippodamia convergens, subfamily Coccinellinae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The convergent ladybug may have elytra (wing covers) with a red background color, as shown above, or with a yellow background color. The yellow version is also posted on this page. Each of the elytra in both color forms has a large black spot in front, followed by a pair of small black spots, and a trio of large black spots at the rear.
Photographed by: Thomas Langhans. See Thomas’s original, full-size image here. Location: city of Brisbane, county of San Mateo, California, USA. Date: 11 September, 2024.
Thomas says, “This one is of a different color than the other one I sent!”

Convergent Ladybug pupa (Hippodamia convergens)

Convergent ladybug/convergent ladybird beetle, pupa, Hippodamia convergens, family Coccinellidae.
Photographed by: Rachel Van Horn. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Cedar Springs, Michigan, USA. Date: 10 June, 2016.
Rachel says, “I realized after I sent it that it was some kind of pupa, because there was just a casing left a few hours later and our little guy was gone.”

Convergent Lady Beetle larva (Hippodamia convergens)

Convergent ladybug/convergent ladybird beetle, larva, Hippodamia convergens, family Coccinellidae.
□ As seen here, the larva of a convergent ladybug has four prominent orange spots on its abdomen. Some individuals have extra spots, and sometimes two rows of them that run down the rear half of the abdomen.
Photographed by: Jody Isenberg. Submitted by: Nicky Schauder. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: San Bernardino, California, USA. Date: 17 April, 2021.

Trident ladybird beetle, Hyperaspis trifurcata, subfamily Scymninae, family Coccinellidae.
□ The trident ladybird beetle is being used to try to control cochineal scale insects (in the genus Dactylopius) that are pests of prickly pear cactus (see comment below). To learn more about this effort, click here (Times of Israel newspaper article).
□ This is a tiny ladybird beetle at 3mm in maximum body length. The markings on its elytra (wing covers) may be pale yellow (as shown above) or orange.
Photographed by: Mohammed Al-Tawayah. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: north of Jordan. Date: April 2021.
Mohammed says he found this beetle in cactus plants infested with cochineal scale insects.

A dwarf ladybug, larva, in the genus Scymnus, possibly Scymnus castaneus, subfamily Scymninae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This unusual-looking ladybug larva is probably that of a dwarf ladybug, perhaps Scymnus castaneus (no specific common name). It looks as if it is adorned with tufts of white cotton.
Photographed by: Arkopal Gupta. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: district Alipurduar, state west Bengal, India. Date: 28 February, 2011.

A dwarf ladybug, larva, in the genus Scymnus, possibly Scymnus castaneus, subfamily Scymninae, family Coccinellidae.
□ This may be Scymnus castaneus, which is small as an adult and therefore known as a dwarf ladybug. The adult is brown and covered with short fine setae (insect “hairs”).
Photographed and identified by: Maharshi Nilesh Patel. Well done, Maharshi! Location: outskirts of Vansda National Park, Vansda tehsil, Navsari District of Gujarat State, India. Date: 27 August, 2019.

Ladybug, larva or pupa, family Coccinellidae.
□ This could possibly be a ladybug in the genus Scymnus if it has yellow legs, or a mealybug destroyer (Cryptolaemus montrouzieri) if it has black legs, but the legs are not visible in this photo. (The mealybug destroyer is used by greenhouses to control mealybugs and scale insects.)
Photographed by: Christine Morton. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: unknown. Date: 14 August, 2022.

Nitidulidae, the sap beetles

Four-spotted sap beetle, Glischrochilus quadrisignatus, subfamily Cryptarchinae, family Nitidulidae.
□ The shadow is a great touch in this photo of a four-spotted sap beetle.
Photographed and identified by: Kelly McKinne (@gonzonaturalist). Well done, Kelly! Location: northern Ohio, USA. Date: July 2016.

Sap beetle, probably a small hive beetle, Aethina tumida, subfamily Nitidulinae, Nitidulidae.
□ This specimen is tiny (and yes, it’s a bit crushed). The small hive beetle is originally from sub-Saharan Africa, and was first seen in the United States in the late 1990s in a commercial bee hive. Since then it has spread across U.S.
Photographed by: Harold Vines. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA. Date: 9 March, 2017.

Pineapple sap beetle, Epuraea luteola, subfamily Epuraeinae, family Nitidulidae.
□ Pineapple sap beetles are orange with black eyes. Their elytra (wing covers) only cover about two-thirds of the abdomen, and the pronotum (shield covering the thorax) has a rather squared-off shape.
Photographed and identified by: Eric Blehaut. Well done on the ID, Eric! Location: Bang Krang, Thailand. Date: 1 October, 2023.

Erotylidae, the pleasing fungus beetles
Silvanidae, the flat bark or silvanid beetles
Cucujidae, the flat-back beetles

Pleasing Fungus Beetle (Erotylus nicaraguae)

Erotylus nicaraguae (no specific common name), subfamily Erotylinae, family Erotylidae.
□ The yellow-and-black elytra (wing covers) and thin reddish-brown piping draw the eye to Erotylus nicaraguae (no specific common name). It is a member of a family of insects collectively known as pleasing fungus beetles or handsome fungus beetles. Most of the beetles in this family eat the spores and root-like hyphae of fungi.
Photographed and identified by: Paul Davis. Well done, Paul! Location: Xandari resort, Costa Rica. Date: 27 June, 2018.

A saw-toothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis or Oryzaephilus mercator, subfamily Silvaninae, family Silvanidae.
□ Saw-toothed grain beetles are quite common household pests. They feed on grain or whatever other pantry food they can find, and they are small, so they can get in even tiny spaces. Note the tiny spikes on its pronotum (shield covering the thorax), which help to identify this beetle as either Oryzaephilus surinamensis or Oryzaephilus mercator (neither has a specific common name).
Photographed by: Laura Vasquez. Identified by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: central Minnesota, USA. Date: 1 July, 2018.

Red flat bark beetle, Cucujus clavipes, subfamily Cucujinae, family Cucujidae.
□ The red flat bark beetle may be all red or may have faint black smudges running down its elytra (wing covers). The smudge is just visible in this photo. These beetles have very flat bodies, which allows them to scoot under narrow spaces below tree bark.
Photographed and identified to family by: Kelly McKinne (@gonzonaturalist). Excellent ID, Kelly! Identified to species by: KnowYourInsects.org. Location: Black Swamp Bird Observatory, Oak Harbor, Ohio, USA. Date: 12 April, 2015.

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