the.com/coleoptera
The order of beetles — one in every four animals on Earth, armored and unbothered.
means The scientific order name for beetles, the hard-shelled insects with forewings modified into protective covers over their flight wings.
from From Greek koleos ('sheath' — the kind a sword slides into) plus pteron ('wing'). Coined to describe the beetle's signature trick: its front wings harden into a case, the elytra, that folds down like a sheath to shield the delicate flying wings underneath. The name is usually credited to Aristotle's grouping of sheath-winged insects, later formalized into the Linnaean order Coleoptera in the 18th century.
- species count
- over 400000 described, likely millions more
- name origin
- greek for sheathed wing
- haldane quip
- god has inordinate fondness for beetles
- body plan
- front wings hardened into protective shell, elytra