Beetle Families

The most recent checklist of beetles of the British Isles includes 4072 species in 103 families, listed in taxonomic order below. Click on the links to obtain more information about each family, including identification guides, websites and (where appropriate) recording schemes. This guide has been prepared by Mark Gurney. A pdf version is available here.

I find the easiest way to identify a beetle is to look through a reference collection of well-carded specimens. You need a museum for this, which is not always convenient. As a substitute, here is a collection of photographs of specimens from Lech Borowiec's website. A few families are represented by photos from Udo Schmidt. Thanks to both of them for permission to use their photos here, and for making these resources available to everyone on their websites.

Size and shape are important things to look for when trying to match beetles to families. Is the body rounded or rather straightsided? Is it wide or narrow, tapering or widest towards the rear? Do the wing-cases cover the whole abdomen or are there some segments exposed? How long are the antennae relative to the body and the palps? Note also whether the antennae are clubbed, and whether any of the tarsal segments are lobed (in families with lobed tarsal segments, often only one segment is lobed).

How to use this guide:

The number in front of the family name is the number of species in that family. The family name is followed by the size range of species in the family, and then by the number of segments in the tarsi (front-middle-hind), stating 'Lobed' if some of the tarsal segments are lobed. The number and shape of tarsal segments is used in most keys, but on small beetles they are not easy to see. One of the segments is often much smaller and hidden among the others, and this is not counted in the number given. Do not worry if you are not sure how many segments there are: you can identify most beetles without needing to count their tarsal segments.

Not all the species in each family are shown, but I have included what I hope is a broad enough range to illustrate the variety of shapes and colours within the family. If you find a match for your specimen, do still carry on the end of the guide to make sure that there is nothing else that is an even better match later on. It is quite likely that your specimen will not match any one of the species illustrated here. In that case, you might at least find that it looks more like some families than others, and that will give you a starting point when you look elsewhere. You can also use the illustrations as a check if you are using a key: if you cannot decide which way to go at a couplet, have a look at the families that either side leads you to and you might find it obvious that your beetle does or does not belong to one side or another.

This guide is just another source to help you name a beetle. It will not always work. Neither will any of the other guides and keys out there, so use as many different sources as you can find, and be prepared to let some things remain as mysteries until you have more experience.

If you are just starting out, you might make mistakes or think that your beetle seems not to belong to any family. This is frustrating. But the only difference between you and an expert is experience. If you build up a collection, it will not take long before you can recognise groups of species at a glance and you get a feel for where a beetle might belong. Just as important, you will soon know when something does not fit and you need to look elsewhere. None of this is much comfort when you are stuck with a seemingly unidentifiable insect, but remember that things do get easier.

Photos © Lech Borowiec. Used here with permission. Larger versions are on his website. Photos of the Limnichidae, Ptilodactylidae, Drilidae, Bothrideridae, and Raymondionymidae by Udo Schmidt available under a creative commons Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic licence.

Sphaeriusidae (Minute bog beetles). 1 species. 1mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3.

Gyrinidae (Whirligig beetles). 12 species. 3-7mm. Tarsi: Strange.

Whirligigs. Hind and middle legs reduced to paddles. Included within the Water Beetles group.

Haliplidae (Crawling water beetles). 19 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Black and brown stripes or blotches. Arched on the back.

Noteridae. 2 species. 4-5mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Widest at the front, tapering wing-cases. Short antennae.

Hygrobiidae (Screech beetles). 1 species. 10mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Screech beetle. Distinctive markings. Squeaks when handled.

Dytiscidae (Diving beetles). 120 species. 1-38mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Oval beetles. Tapering, long hind legs. Long antennae.

Carabidae (Ground beetles). 374 species. 2-30mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Ground beetles. Tiny to large. Most are black, brown, or metallic. Long antennae and legs.

Helophoridae (Water scavenger beetles). 20 species. 2-7mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Short antennae, long palps.

Georissidae. 1 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Squat, small, dimpled wing-cases.

Hydrochidae. 7 species. 2-4mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-5.

Dimpled wing-cases with ridges. Short antennae. Bulging eyes.

Spercheidae. 1 species. 5-7mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Wide, short pronotum, Short antennae.

Hydrophilidae. 72 species. 1-40mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Long palps. Some look like Histerids.

Sphaeritidae. 1 species. 5-6mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Histeridae (Hister beetles, clown beetles). 52 species. 1-10mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Clubbed antennae. Rounded or squat, legs often flattened. Wing-cases often shorter than the abdomen.

Hydraenidae. 34 species. 1-7mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Some have ridiculously long palps.

Ptiliidae (Featherwing beetles). 75 species. 1mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Tiny. Antennae swollen at base and with club at tip.

Leiodidae (Round fungus beetles). 95 species. 1-7mm. Tarsi: 4-3-3, 5-3-3, 5-5-4, 5-5-5.

Silphidae (Sexton beetles, burying beetles, carrion beetles). 21 species. 9-30mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed or not.

Large beetles. Antennae clubbed or gradually wider towards the tip.

Staphylinidae (Rove beetles, staphs). 1130 species. 1-24mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 5-5-5. Lobed or not.

A huge family of beetles. Almost all of them have very short wing-cases leaving at least three segments of the abdomen exposed. Most of them are slender and long.

Geotrupidae (Dor beetles). 8 species. 11-26mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Trogidae (Hide beetles). 3 species. 5-10mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Lucanidae (Stag beetles). 4 species. 10-66mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Scarabaeidae (Scarab beetles, dung beetles). 88 species. 2-20mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Eucinetidae (Plate-thigh beetles). 1 species. 3mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Clambidae (Fringe-winged beetles). 10 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Clubbed antennae, very wide heads with pointed corners.

Scirtidae (Marsh beetles). 20 species. 1-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Dascillidae (Orchid beetles). 1 species. 10mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Buprestidae (Jewel beetles). 18 species. 2-12mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Jewel beetles. Large eyes. Usually metallic and with a wide pronotum and slightly tapering wing-cases.

Byrrhidae (Pill beetles). 13 species. 1-10mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-5. Lobed.

Pill beetles. Rounded. Legs flattened. The legs and antennae can be withdrawn into grooves on the underside of the body so the whole beetle becomes an oval pill and seems to have no appendages.

Elmidae (Riffle beetles). 12 species. 1-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Long hind tarsi.

Dryopidae (Long-toed water beetles). 9 species. 3-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Very hairy. Distinctive antennae.

Limnichidae. 1 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Heteroceridae (Mud beetles). 8 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Tiny antennae like short handlebars on the side of the head. Elongate and hairy. Flattened legs.

Psephenidae (Water-penny beetles). 1 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Oval with long antennae.

Ptilodactylidae. 1 species. 3-5mm.

Eucnemidae (False click beetles). 7 species. 3-10mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Throscidae. 5 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Elateridae (Click beetles). 73 species. 3-30mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Drilidae. 1 species. 6mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Only the male has the combs on the antennae.

Lycidae (Net-winged beetles). 3 species. 5-9mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Red beetles with net-veined wing-cases.

Lampyridae (Glow-worms). 3 species. 5-15mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Glow worms.

Cantharidae (Soldier beetles, sailor beetles). 42 species. 2-15mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed.

Soft wing-cases. Long antennae. Usually black or orange. Malthodes and related genera have short wing-cases, often with pale spots at the tips.

Derodontidae. 1 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Dimpled pronotum and wing-cases. Tiny.

Dermestidae (Larder beetles). 40 species. 1-8mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Carpet beetles. Like the pill beetles, these can withdraw their legs and antennae into slots.

Bostrichidae (Auger beetles, powderpost beetles). 10 species. 2-9mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Most species have pronotum covered in small bumps.

Ptinidae (Wood-borer beetles). 57 species. 1-7mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Lymexylidae (Timberworm beetles). 2 species. 7-18mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Very thin.

Phloiophilidae. 1 species. 2-3mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Trogossitidae. 5 species. 5-11mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Cleridae (Chequered beetles). 15 species. 6-16mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-5. Lobed.

Boldly coloured or shiny. Bristly hairs.

Dasytidae (Soft-winged flower beetles). 9 species. 1-7mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Malachiidae (Soft-winged flower beetles). 17 species. 2-8mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5. Lobed or not.

Soft wing-cases. Slender legs.

Sphindidae. 2 species. 2-3mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Tiny.

Kateretidae (Short-winged flower beetles). 9 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed or not.

Tiny. Each wing-case rounded at the tip, slightly shorter than the abdomen.

Nitidulidae (Sap beetles, pollen beetles). 91 species. 1-8mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed or not.

Clubbed antennae. Most rather small, but the big black and orange Glischrochilus are an exception.

Monotomidae (Root-eating beetles). 24 species. 1-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed or not.

Narrow with rather straight sides. Clubbed antennae.

Silvanidae (Flat bark beetles, flat grain beetles). 12 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Cucujidae (Flat bark beetles). 2 species. Tarsi: 4-4-3, 5-5-4, 5-5-5.

Very flattened.

Laemophloeidae (Lined flat bark beetles). 11 species. 1-4mm. Tarsi: 4-4-3, 5-5-4, 5-5-5.

Tiny. Long antennae.

Phalacridae. 15 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Very shiny and smooth.

Cryptophagidae (Silken fungus beetles). 105 species. 1-11mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-4, 5-5-5. Lobed or not.

Tiny.

Erotylidae (Pleasing fungus beetles). 8 species. 2-7mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-5. Lobed.

Byturidae (Fruitworm beetles). 2 species. 3-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Long and rather straight-sided. Clubbed antennae.

Biphyllidae (False skin beetles). 2 species. 2-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-5.

Bothrideridae. 5 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Cerylonidae. 5 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 4-4-4.

Flattened and shiny.

Alexiidae. 1 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Very round and hairy.

Endomychidae (Handsome fungus beetles). 8 species. 2-6mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 4-4-4. Lobed or not.

Coccinellidae (Ladybirds). 53 species. 1-9mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3. Lobed.

Ladybirds. Clubbed antennae and mostly oval bodies.

Corylophidae. 11 species. 1mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 4-4-4.

Tiny. Head hidden under the pronotum.

Latridiidae (Minute brown scavenger beetles). 56 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3.

Tiny. Dimpled wing-cases.

Mycetophagidae (Hairy fungus beetles). 15 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4.

Ciidae (Minute tree fungus beetles). 22 species. 1-3mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 4-4-4.

Narrow and rather straight-sided. Can withdraw their legs into grooves on the underside.

Tetratomidae (Polypore fungus beetles). 4 species. 3-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Melandryidae (False darkling beetles). 17 species. 3-15mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-4. Lobed or not.

Mordellidae (Tumbling flower beetles). 17 species. 2-9mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Distinctive pointed abdomens.

Ripiphoridae (Wedge-shaped beetles). 1 species. 10-12mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

A strange beetle that lives in wasp nests.

Colydiidae (Cylindrical bark beetles, narrow timber beetles). 12 species. 1-6mm. Tarsi: 3-3-3, 4-4-4, 5-4-4.

Tenebrionidae (Darkling beetles). 47 species. 2-25mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4. Lobed or not.

An assortment of very different looking beetles. The number of tarsal segments is unusual and shared with only a few other families.

Oedemeridae (False blister beetles). 10 species. 5-17mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4. Lobed.

Meloidae (Oil beetles). 11 species. 7-32mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Oil beetles. Most have short wing cases that do not meet along the middle (unlike the Staphylinidae).

Mycteridae. 1 species.

Pythidae. 1 species. 9-15mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Pyrochroidae (Cardinal beetles). 3 species. 9-17mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4. Lobed.

Cardinal beetles. Large and red, with comb antennae.

Salpingidae. 11 species. 2-4mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Anthicidae (Ant-like flower beetles). 13 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4. Lobed.

Narrow necks and ant-like heads. Notoxus has a horn over the head.

Aderidae. 3 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Weakly lobed.

Eyes notched.

Scraptiidae (False flower beetles). 17 species. 2-5mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4, 5-5-4. Lobed or not.

Very long hind tarsi.

Cerambycidae (Longhorn beetles). 69 species. 2-30mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Longhorns. Antennae usually long. Eyes often, but not always, notched.

Megalopodidae. 3 species. 2-3mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Orsodacnidae. 2 species. 4-8mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Chrysomelidae (Seed and leaf beetles). 286 species. 1-18mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Includes the leaf beetles, flea beetles, seed beetles, tortoise beetles, and reed beetles. Many are metallic.

Nemonychidae. 1 species. 4mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

An odd weevil from pines.

Anthribidae (Fungus weevils). 9 species. 2-10mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Rostrum short and broad. Antennae not elbowed.

Rhynchitidae (Tooth-nosed snout weevils). 19 species. 2-8mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Black or metallic species. Antennae not elbowed.

Attelabidae (Leaf-rolling weevils). 2 species. 5-6mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Unusual weevils, our two species are distinctive.

Apionidae (Seed weevils). 90 species. 1-4mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Typical weevil rostrum, but antennae not elbowed.

Nanophyidae. 2 species. 1-2mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Dryophthoridae. 4 species. 2-4mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Elbowed antennae.

Erirhinidae (Wetland weevils). 13 species. 3-9mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Raymondionymidae. 1 species. 2-3mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed.

Curculionidae (Weevils). 493 species. 1-14mm. Tarsi: 4-4-4. Lobed or not.

Includes typical weevils with elbowed antennae and long rostrums. Also the broad-nosed weevils and the bark beetles (hardly any rostrum, head often hidden beneath the pronotum, antennae clubbed but not so obviously elbowed).

Platypodidae. 2 species. 5-8mm. Tarsi: 5-5-4.

Brachyceridae.

Cerophytidae.