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Beetles, the insect order Coleoptera, are the dominant form of life on earth: there are more known species of Coleoptera than any other group of organisms, with over 350,000 described species. Various species live in nearly every habitat except the open sea, and for every possible kind of food, there's probably a beetle species that eats it. The oldest beetle fossils are from the Lower Permian (about 265 million years old), appearing before dinosaurs existed, and now greatly outnumbering the dinosaurs' descendants. Beetles include beneficial and pest species, beautiful and plain, huge and tiny. They have even had a role in human culture, most notably the ancient Egyptians revering the sacred scarab as a symbol of life and rebirth.
The most distinctive feature of beetles is the hardening of the forewings into elytra; it is from this that they get their formal name (koleos - sheath, pteron - wing). The elytra serve to protect the more delicate hind wings (during flight the forewings are opened enough to allow the hind wings to unfold and function) and the dorsal surface of the abdomen.
The following list contains records for 110 families of which 102 are currently considered valid, over 1000 genera, and about 2900 species of beetles that are known to occur in Oklahoma. The total includes about 30% of the genera but only about 10% of the species of Coleoptera recorded from the United States and Canada by Arnett (1993). It is hoped this list represents at least 50% of the species that may eventually be found in our state.
For the most part, family names and arrangement of subfamilies, tribes, and genera follow Arnett and Thomas (2001) and Arnett et al. (2002) (American Beetles, Vol. 1 and 2). The exception is that not all of the families have been combined as in American Beetles. The statement, "Reported in Coleoptera Catalog", found in the reference list of many families, refers to Arnett (1983). An abbreviated list of references can be found at the end of each family list and are referred to by the numbers after each species. Complete citations may be found in the bibliography link.
Despite nearly 20 years of off/on effort, this list remains incomplete and should be considered a "work in progress". It will change as new information becomes available. Questions, comments, corrections, additions, and/or reprints of papers not listed in the bibliography would be greatly appreciated. Please address all correspondence to:
Don Arnold
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology
Oklahoma State University
127 NRC
Stillwater, OK 74078
Tel: (405) 744-9397
e-mail don.arnold@okstate.edu .
Checklist and Bibliography of Oklahoma Coleoptera:
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