Research news on beetles (order)

Beetles are insects of the order Coleoptera, characterized primarily by forewings modified into hardened elytra that cover and protect the membranous hindwings and dorsal abdomen. They exhibit complete metamorphosis with distinct egg, larval, pupal, and adult stages, and display extreme morphological, ecological, and trophic diversity, occupying roles as herbivores, predators, detritivores, and fungivores in virtually all terrestrial and many freshwater ecosystems. Coleoptera possess chewing mouthparts, a sclerotized exoskeleton, and typically well-developed antennae with taxonomically informative segmentation. With more described species than any other animal order, beetles are a major focus in systematics, evolutionary biology, ecology, and biodiversity research.