Beetles

It could be said that in terms of numbers of species, insects rule the world. If this were the case, beetles would rule the insects, for they are the largest and most diverse group of animals on Earth. There are over 350,000 described beetles, including more than 5000 native New Zealand species (Klimaszewski and Watt, 1997), with many, many more still awaiting discovery.

Beetles have taken the same basic body form and shaped it to the demands of a vast number of niches and habitats. Beetles are found in steaming jungles and icy mountaintops, in burning deserts and in ponds and streams.

There are carnivores, herbivores, fungivores, and scavengers and at least one species, the drugstore beetle (Stegobium paniceum Linnaeus), that will eat just about anything organic, including the poisons belladonna and strychnine (Scott, 1984). Colours range from drab blacks and browns to bright reds and yellows through to brilliant iridescent greens and metallic blues.

Te Papa's beetle collection consists of many thousands of specimens, including over 100 primary type specimens, the original specimens on which published descriptions are based.

While the emphasis is on New Zealand species, Te Papa has beetles from all over the world that have been donated over the course of the collection's existence. They range in size from the near microscopic stone beetles (family Scydmaenidae) to the giant goliath beetle (Goliathus goliathus Linnaeus), one of the heaviest insects in the world.

References

Klimaszewski, J, and Watt, J C. 1997. 'Coleoptera: family-group review and keys to identification.' Fauna of New Zealand 37. pp1-199.

Scott, R R, ed. 1984. New Zealand pest and beneficial insects. Canterbury: Lincoln University College of Agriculture.