Beetles are insects and are the most numerous of all the world’s animal groups — there are many are still waiting to be discovered!
Knowledge of our beetles is very important since a number are phytophagous and act as pests. Indeed, beetle larvae cause great damage to crops and trees.
Beetles are insects with a complete metamorphosis and pass through four phases: egg, larva, pupa and adult. They almost always reproduce sexually, and the females release pheromones or emit sounds to attract the males.
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The larvae of many species of beetle live and feed on or in plants (leaves, roots, wood, etc.). Feeding strategies are very varied and include the following types:
- leaves (phytofagous)
- flowers (anthophagous)
- wood (xylophagous)
- roots (rhizophagous)
There are over 8,000 species of beetle known from Europe, belonging to over 1,000 families.
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