Fact file
Order: Coleoptera
Body length: Up to 180mm
Species: World - 370 000, UK - 3729
Beetles account for a third of all insect species. They come in all shapes and sizes, and have distinctive toughened forewings called elytra (el-ee-tra).
Beetles have biting mouthparts, and sometimes these 'jaws' can make up a third of the insect's total length. Male stag beetles fight one another using their jaws.