Coleoptera: The Beetles - Order Spotlight

Continuing our Order Spotlight series, hear a quick crash course on one of the most diverse orders of insects (and animals), Coleoptera - the BEETLES.
Learn what they are, how to identify them, why they're so important, and when they can be a pest.
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[@newsavefile]

Finally another great entomology channel. Keep it going bro.

[@insectspotlightproject]

I appreciate it dude! 🙌 Ill keep the content flowing

[@skybluskyblueify]

You mentioned them eating plants, detritus, carnivory, but you didn't mention fungus-eating beetles. Pleasing fungus beetles are in fact pleasing to look at [at least the ones I've seen]. The ones I saw were blue. So nice!

[@insectspotlightproject]

True! Will def have to give them their own video at some point! 👌

[@sahnenusss]

IM OBSESSED WITH THIS CHANNEL also, 7:29 is so true! my grandma has some logs stacked in her backyard and a family of beetles (Astylus trifasciatus) lives in them.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Yo thank you so much! Sounds like some great little neighbors 😂

[@JustAaron]

Thank you for making these videos. They are brilliant. Im starting an undergraduate degree in Zoology part-time in September, and im 36! Love Entomology, especially Coleoptera and these are helping me to re-learn.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thank you so much! Best of luck in starting your degree and happy I could be of some help! 🙌

[@chaz1357]

It's wild to think that if you stumble upon an insect randomly there's almost a 50% chance it's a beetle. Also, I feel like "planting native plants" is like your Bob Barker "spay and neuter your pets" at this point 😂❤

[@insectspotlightproject]

Lol it really does apply to all of these 😂

[@banesbotanicals1287]

Hey man, congrats on getting your Masters! I love that you're into taxonomy. I'm more into the plant side of it, but insects are really interesting to me also! They kind of go hand in hand!

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thanks so much! Oh totally! Insect knowledge helps plant science and plant science knowledge is crucial to entomology! Huge respect for my plant folk 🙌

[@danielpeoples9561]

Congrats, sir, on completing that Master's degree.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thanks so much! 🙌

[@TheNightshadePrince]

I love Beetle, here in north Florida we have a pine eating Beetle that makes the sound of wet rain boots walking through the woods. I love those scarabs they would pollinate my bee balm when I lived up north.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Wet rain boots walking through the woods sounds wonderful- love the little sounds of nature

[@Viandemoisie]

Congratulations on the Master's! Also your videos are great! I'm planning on watching through your entire channel haha

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thank you so much! And thank you for the support! 🙌

[@gilroyhain2058]

Congratulations on the Masters, now more videos please.

[@insectspotlightproject]

lol I gotchu! 😂👌

[@kendallsievert8228]

Now we’re getting to the tanks of the insect world

[@monicabello1962]

I use Cetonia and Protaetia larvae to produce my own fertilizer. They can process the compost much faster than earthworms as long as it is 100% vegetable and it soft enough to be chewed, i.e. they do not eat hardwood or nutshells, just leaves, grass, fruit and veggies. The result are a nice little compressed pellets that can be spread or mixed to the soil as a slow release fertilizer.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Sounds like a great system! Is it self sustaining? Do the beetles replenish themselves as the larvae reach adulthood?

[@ObobWobob]

Love your videos, hope you get bigger 🔥🔥

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thanks so much! 🙌

[@rabbithohl2162]

It is now a life goal for me to discover and name a beetle. Congratulations on your masters! What are the chances of a video giving an overview of your thesis?

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thank you! I've thought about doing this at some point - my thesis was focused more on the genetic side of things, population genetics of some agriculturally significant predators. Maybe down the line I'll do an overview of my academic research - track I followed to where I am now. But I'd say I'm pretty likely to do one at some point!

[@kermonke8145]

thank you for these videos , im studying entomology rn and you have helped out a lot and made all your videos so interesting to watch. i had one question that isnt much related to the video but are larvae and nymph the same thing for insects?

[@insectspotlightproject]

So larvae refers to the immature stage of holometabolous insects, while nymph is the immature stage of hemimetabolous insects! Holometabolous insects have a pupal stage - hemimetabolous insects dont. Most holometabolous larvae are very different in form and function from their adult counterparts (hence why they need a pupal stage as a transition), whereas the hemimetabolous nymphs are often fairly similar to the adults.

[@lloydfales]

Helping me study for the Master Gardener test. Thank you

[@insectspotlightproject]

Happy to help! Best of luck on your exam 💯

[@lemonjuic3r]

great video! i just finished up a research project on lasioderma serricone and this video gave me some nice insights into the rest of the order :)

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thank you so much! Ooo Ptinidae! Wouldnt mind doing a video on them at some point, lot of economically significant bois in there. Once the research gets written up would love to have a read!

[@lemonjuic3r]

@@insectspotlightproject for sure! although it is high school level, so don’t expect anything too crazy 😅

[@insectspotlightproject]

@@lemonjuic3r I dont know much about the Ptinidae so I'm sure I'd learn a ton! That's the great part about insects is you never run out of things to learn haha

[@BorisNVM]

very cool

[@starscream548]

In your video on the Neuroptera you mentioned that they are the closest relatives to beetles. I thought it was the Strepsiptera was that changed recently

[@insectspotlightproject]

So the beetles closest relative is the strepsiptera, but the sister group to the Neuropterida (Neuroptera, Megaloptera, and Raphidioptera) is believed to be the beetles (and strepsiptera). So the beetles closest relative appears to be the strepsiptera, while the Neuropteridas closest relative is the beetles/strepsiptera!

[@insectspotlightproject]

In simpler terms - [Neuropterida, (Coleoptera, Strepsiptera)]. But remember that Neuropterida is a grouping of 3 orders.

[@secondbeamship]

Beetles, the beloved of God.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Fr Haldane said it best 🙌

[@noeditbookreviews]

A master in entomology? That is so cool. I've always been interested in arthropoda but after taking zoology, I really want to learn more about coleoptera, diptera, lepidoptera, hymenoptera, and hemiptera specifically. Do you know of any good book recommendations?

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thanks so much! For the Love of Insects by Thomas Eisner is a great one. A good blend of broader order level info and specific case studies into different interesting species and relationships.

[@noeditbookreviews]

@@insectspotlightproject hey, thanks man!

[@noeditbookreviews]

@@insectspotlightproject oh, wow it says "Forward by E.O. Wilson". I love E.O. Wilson!

[@izzy.cooper]

Instant subscribe upon first minute lol.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thank you so much! 😭

[@rabbithohl2162]

Same. When you know… you know

[@DJLucas-xv7oe]

What's the most speciose family and genus of beetles?

[@insectspotlightproject]

Rove beetles (Staphylinidae) is the most speciose family - looked into largest genus and it seems to be Agrilus (a family within the buprestidae) - which also makes it the most speciose genus in the animal kingdom! (~3,000 species)

[@DJLucas-xv7oe]

@insectspotlightproject Dang!

[@TaylorPine]

Excellent vid! really enjoy your work. Would love if you went a bit more in depth though.

[@insectspotlightproject]

Thanks Taylor! I try to keep the vids under 10 minutes but yea there's so much cool stuff to cover! I'm gonna hopefully do some family level and topic videos too to cover more. (Maybe one day I can do deep dive videos for the major orders and make some longer vids)

[@helgebrunswig5010]

Yeah, videos which cover beetle families would be great! Really like your content! :)

[@insectspotlightproject]

@@helgebrunswig5010 Thanks so much! I appreciate the support 😄

[@MandrakeFernflower]

Weevil time