Getting to know beetles
From ladybird beetles in the veggie patch to Christmas beetles around the porch lights and diving beetles in backyard ponds, beetles are all around us.
What makes beetles unique is the hard, shell-like wings that protect their softer, thin wings.
Like butterflies, beetles start life as an egg that hatches to a larva that pupates to turn into an adult with six legs and two pairs of wings. Beetles can eat a wide range of foods, from plants to fungi, to insects and animal dung.
About 40% of all insects are beetles and it’s thought there are more than 30,000 native species of beetles in Australia. Many thousands of these don’t yet have a scientific name.
Some introduced beetles like polyphagous shot-hole borer (Euwallacea fornicatus) can cause severe damage to trees. Other potentially invasive beetles like the harlequin ladybird (Harmonia axyridis) could outcompete native ladybird beetles.
Help us learn more about potentially threatened beetles
Many adults have fond memories of lots of christmas beetles being around in the summers of their childhood. Christmas beetle sightings appear to be in decline. Some of the 36 Australian species may be at risk, but more information is needed. Every photo added to Bug Hunt can help build a better understanding of where beetles are.
Beetle Gallery
Jewel Beetle
Buprestidae
Fiddler Beetle
Eupoecila australasiae
Feather Horned Beetle
Rhipicera femorata
Christmas beetle
Lamprima aurata
Join the Bug Hunt for beetles
By taking photos of beetles and uploading them into iNaturalist, you can help grow our knowledge about where they live, what habitat they like, and what they feed on. You might even help discover a new species of beetle, or help spark action on a pest species. It was an observant member of the public in suburban Perth that first spotted the polyphagous shot-hole borer (Euwallacea fornicatus).
In iNaturalist, go to projects, search for ‘Bug Hunt Australia’ and join.
Tips for spotting and photographing beetles
The warmer parts of the year are the best time for spotting beetles. Look for nectar eating beetles like brown flower beetle (Glycyphana stolata) on flowering native plants. Other beetles can be found amongst the leaf litter or around dead trees or logs. Many beetles can also be found at night.
When taking photos for iNaturalist, remember:
- Have your GPS location turned on.
- Take lots of photos! Start from a distance and zoom in, then slowly move closer.
- Avoid disturbing them though – just photograph them as you find them.
- If possible, take a photo of the top, bottom, back and rear of the beetle as this can help with identification.
- Upload your shots photos directly through the iNaturalist app, or through your computer at www.inaturalist.org. The app AI may suggest a specific species, but if you’re not confident on the species identification (some species can look quite similar), just select the level of identification you are most comfortable with – it could be ‘Lady beetles’ or just ‘beetles’ or even just ínsect’ if you’re not sure. Experts in the iNaturalist community can then suggest a more specific identification for you.
- Adding a photo or some notes about the type of environment or the plants nearby can help build knowledge about what kind of habitat the beetle likes.
Backyard beetles
The transverse ladybird beetle (Coccinella transversalis), cowboy beetle (Chondropyga dorsalis) and fiddler beetle (Eupoecila australasiae) are found in many Australian backyards.
To find out what beetles are being observed near you, go to www.inaturalist.org/observations and search for ‘beetles’ in your location.