The resulting photographs were comparable to those of the scanning electron microscope at that magnification. Elytra of hundreds of species, belonging to various families of Coleoptera were examined.

Beetles are classified in the order Coleoptera (sheath-wing). The front pair of wings is hardened into cases (called elytra) ...

Although the diabolical ironclad beetle can't fly, it closes its elytra while the two pairs of the structures are tightly interlocked together to make the exoskeleton so indestructible.

DESCRIPTION: At about one to 1.5 inches in length, the American burying beetle is the largest species of its genus in North America. Its body is shiny black, with hardened protective wing covers ...

The beetle initiates a two-phase wing deployment during flapping flight. In the first phase, the elytra are fully elevated, followed by a partial release of the hindwings to about 48.5° from the ...

Like all beetles, they have 6 legs, and the front wings are hardened into armored plates called elytra that at least ...