End Band Net-Wing Beetle – Calopteron terminale 

Retracted elytra reveal the huge membraneous flying wings. This beetle is a strong, but slow, lumbering flier.

Beetles in the family Lycidae are commonly called net-winged beetles, after the (fractal) netlike embossed pattern in the elytra. Adults in the family range from 3 – 80 mm. Mostly concentrated in the tropics, the net-wings range worldwide with about 3500 species in 6 subfamilies.

Little is known about the egg-laying habits of the Calopteron genus, but the gregarious larvae aggregate prior to pupation, resulting in shingled masses of pupariums. Larvae live in rotten wood, soil and leaf litter, and under loose tree bark. Net-wings are not considered an agricultural pest and cause little if any damage to living plants.

Family Lycidae – Net-winged Beetles. Live adult beetles photographed at Ogle County, Illinois, USA.  Size  ~18mm

Order Coleoptera: Beetles are the dominant form of life on earth: one of every five living species is a beetle. Coleoptera is the largest order in the animal kingdom, containing a third of all insect species. There are about 400,000 known species worldwide, ~30,000 of which live in North America.  Beetles live in nearly every habitat, and for every kind of food, there’s probably a beetle species that eats it.
Beetles Index | Longhorns | Leaf Beetles | Soldier | Blister | Lady | Scarab