The three main parts of a beetle's body -- head, thorax, and abdomen -- are strongly joined together.

The horny front wings, or wing sheaths, of beetles are called elytra (one wing, or sheath, is an elytron). They are rounded so that each is shaped like half a dome, and they meet in a straight line down the middle of the back. The second pair of wings is of crumpled, transparent material. When a beetle flies, it raises its wing sheaths out of the way and then stretches out the second pair until they are quite flat. It flies by beating the air with the second pair of wings.

The heads of beetles are equipped with antennae of a great many different shapes.Some are short and club-shaped, while others are long and look like combs, antlers, or stiff strings of beads. The mouths of beetles have large, strong jaws with which to grasp and chew solid food. Both the winged adult beetles and the wingless larvae have jaws of this type.

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This page was last updated on June 19, 2018.