Coleoptera Families

Suborder: Adephaga

1. First abdominal segment divided by hind coxae.
2. Notopleural sutures present.
3. Tarsi 5-5-5
4. Antennae 11-segmented

Cicindelidae (tiger beetles)

  1. Shape distinctive
  2. Pronotum narrower than elytra
  3. Head at eyes as wide or wider than pronotum.
  4. Antennae inserted above the base of mandibles.
  5. Often patterned, irridescent, and very colorful.
  6. Cicindela sexguttata

Carabidae (ground beetles)

  1. Pronotum narrower than elytra
  2. Head at eyes as narrower than pronotum.
  3. Antennae inserted between eyes and base of mandibles.
  4. Generally black and shiny.

Dytiscidae (predaceous diving beetles)

  1. Shape distinctive
  2. Hind legs flattened and fringed with hairs.
  3. Antennae threadlike.
  4. Scutellum usually visible
  5. Aquatic

Gyrinidae (whirligig beetles)

  1. 2 pairs of compound eyes, 1 dorsal and 1 ventral.
  2. Front legs long, slender, middle and hind legs very short, flattened, not fringed with hairs.
  3. Antennae short and clubbed.
  4. Scutellum not visible
  5. Aquatic

Suborder: Polyphaga

1. First abdominal segment not divided by hind coxae.
2. Prothorax lacking notopleural sutures.
3. Tarsi variable.
4. Antennae variable.

Silphidae (carrion beetles)

  1. Elytra broad posteriorly, short, truncated, and exposing 1-3 abdominal terga.
  2. Black, often with yellow, orange, or red markings.
  3. Antennae clubbed.
  4. Necrophorus, Silpha

Staphylinidae (rove beetles)

  1. Elongate, slender, parallel-sided.
  2. Elytra short, exposing 3-6 abdominal terga.
  3. Abdomen flexible, often pointed upwards (in life).
  4. Antennae threadlike to clubbed.

Hydrophilidae (water scavenger beetles)

  1. Maxillary palps elongate, usually longer than antennae.
  2. Metasternum prolonged posteriorly as a sharp spine.
  3. Antennae short, clubbed.
  4. Hind legs flattened, usually with a fringe of hairs.
  5. Aquatic.

Lucanidae (stag beetles)

  1. Antennae elbowed, clubbed, club 3-4 segments not capable or being held together.
  2. Mandible of males very large.
  3. Elytra smooth.
  4. Robust beetles.

Passalidae (bess beetles)

  1. Antennae not elbowed, clubbed, club not capable or being held together.
  2. Head with a forward-directed horn.
  3. Elytra with longitudinal grooves.
  4. Pronotum and elytra distinctly separated.
  5. Popilius disjunctus (Illiger)

Scarabeidae (scarab beetles)

  1. Antennae with 8-11 segments, lamellate club, segments capable of being held tight together.
  2. Usually heavy bodied.
  3. Tarsi 5-5-5

Buprestidae (metallic wood-boring beetles)

  1. Nearly always metallic or bronzed, especially on ventral surface.
  2. Hard-bodied, elongate, slender, parallel-sided, to elongate, robust, and even strongly oval.
  3. Tarsi 5-5-5

Elateridae (click beetles)

  1. Shape distinctive.
  2. Body elongate-narrow, somewhat flattened, parallel-sided.
  3. Posterior corners of pronotum prolonged backward into sharp points.
  4. Prosternum with an elongate lobe extending posteriorly into a mesosternal depression.
  5. Antennae usually serrate.

Lycidae (net-winged beetles)

  1. Elytral form and sculpturing distinctive
  2. Elytra broadest toward rear, extending loosely beyond body margins.
  3. Body soft
  4. Head more or less concealed from above
  5. Western species in the genus Lycus with a snout.
  6. Antennae long, often flattened, usually sawtoothed or threadlike
  7. Often with red or orange markings

Lampyridae (lightningbugs, fireflies)

  1. Form distinctive.
  2. Head concealed from above by flattened pronotum.
  3. Pronotum nearly as wide as elytra
  4. Body soft, flattened
  5. Antennae threadlike to sawtoothed
  6. Often 1-2 abdominal segments are luminescent

Cantharidae (soldier beetles)

  1. Body elongate, soft, somewhat flattened
  2. Antennae threadlike, rarely sawtoothed or comblike
  3. Elytra loosely covering abdomen
  4. Head usually visible from above, pronotum not extended over head.
  5. Usually black or brown often with red orange, or yellow on pronotum. Some are mostly yellow and with black markings on elytra.

Dermestidae (carpet or skin, beetles)

  1. Body elongate-robust to nearly circular. Often covered with scales or hair that form a pattern.
  2. Head more or less concealed from above, directed downward.
  3. Antennae short, clubbed
  4. Club usually abrupt and consisting of 3 segments
  5. Antennae often fit into grooves below each side of pronotum

Bostrichidae (branch and twig borers)

  1. Most species are cylindrical (3.5 - 12 mm)
  2. Pronotum usually with rasplike teeth at front
  3. Pronotum as wide as head but not enclosing it
  4. Head bent down nearly to completely concealed from above.
  5. Antennae are straight with a loose 3-4 segemented club

Cleridae (checkered beetles)

  1. Body covered with bristly hairs
  2. Head as wide or wider than pronotum
  3. Pronotum narrower than elytra
  4. Most species with distinct markings, often red, orange, yellow, or blue
  5. Antennae clubed, sawtoothed, or thread-like.
  6. Tarsi 5-5-5 but in some species the 1st or 4th segment is very small (p. 380, fig. 28-10 b)

Nitidulidae (sap beetles)

  1. Antennal club abrupt and 3-segmented nearly always ball-like
  2. Usually 1-3 abdominal segments exposed beyond elytra.
  3. Dull black to yellowish brown, sometimes with yellow or orange.
  4. Tarsi 5-5-5, segments 1-3 more or less dilated, 4th segment small.
  5. Conotelus strongly resemble staphylinids but differ by the clubbed antennae.

Cucujidae (flat bark beetles)

  1. Usually greatly fattened.
  2. Antennae usually beadlike or threadlike and long. Although there are some species that have short antennae ending in a gradual 2-4 segmented club.
  3. Mandibles point forward.
  4. Light to dark brown beetles.
  5. Elytra usually striated.
  6. Tarsi 5-5-5, sometimes apparently 5-5-4

Coccinellidae (ladybird beetles)

  1. Shape and antennae distinctive; broadly oval to nearly round; dorsal surface strongly convex.
  2. Antennae short, with a weak club.
  3. Head partly to completely concealed from above.
  4. Often brightly colored, yellow, red, orange, with black markings. Sometimes entirely black.
  5. Tarsi apparently 3-3-3, actually 4-4-4 (3rd segment minute).

Melandryidae (false darkling beetles)

  1. Hard to recognize. Usually 2 depressions near the base of the pronotum.
  2. First segment of each tarsus longer than any other segment.
  3. Dark brown to black
  4. Antennae usually threadlike

Mordellidae (tumbling flower beetles)

  1. Distinctive body form and behavior. Body humpbacked, more or less wedge-shaped, broadest at front; head is bent downward.
  2. Hind legs enlarged.
  3. Beetles kick and tumble when disturbed.
  4. Black or gray, sometimes brown, light patches of hair sometimes form patterns.
  5. Tarsi 5-5-4

Tenebrionidae (darkling beetles)

  1. Tarsi 5-5-4
  2. Eyes notched by a frontal ridge.
  3. Antennae threadlike, beadlike, or slightly clubbed, insertion concealed from above.
  4. Usually dull brown or black.

Meloidae (blister beetles)

  1. Head abroad, usually somewhat rectangular from above, nearly always wider than the pronotum.
  2. Pronotum narrow, elytra wider at base than pronotum.
  3. Elongate-slender
  4. Body soft leathery.
  5. Elytra loosely cover abdomen and nearly always rolled.
  6. Tarsi 5-5-4

Cerambycidae (long-horned beetles)

  1. Antennae at least as half as long as body, often as long as body.
  2. Body usually robust and broad-shouldered.
  3. Eyes usually notched at the antennal insertion.
  4. Tarsi apparently 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5 (4th segment usually minute). Rarely obviously 5-5-5.

Bruchidae (seed beetles)

  1. Shape distinctive. Body often egg-shaped, usually broadest toward the rear or at the middle.
  2. Head often concealed from above prolonged into a short beak.
  3. Hind femora enlarged, nearly always with large teeth on lower margin.
  4. Antennae clubbed or sawtoothed.
  5. Eyes notched in front.
  6. Elytra striate; nearly always exposing tip of abdomen.

Chrysomelidae (leaf beetles)

  1. Tarsi apparently 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5. Third tarsal segment biolobed, 4th segment small.
  2. Eyes not notched
  3. Antennae less than half as long as body.

Curculionidae (snout beetles or weevils)

  1. Snout nearly always well-developed, broad and flat. Some species with very elongate and narrow snout.
  2. Antennal club compact and with 3 segments, usually elbowed.
  3. Tarsi apparaently 4-4-4, actually 5-5-5.
  4. Most species less than 10 mm.

Scolytidae (bark beetles)

  1. Form and antennal club distinctive. Body nearly always elongate-cylindrical.
  2. Antennal club shrot, elbowed, and ending in a large, nearly round, abrupt, club.
  3. Front of pronotum often bears teeth.
  4. Head usually concealed from above.