Meet some of the species featured in Interesting Beetlesopens in a new window, a fascinating new book by Max Barclay, our Senior Curator of Coleoptera.
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Interesting beetles: Omens, ornaments and obsession
Emily Osterloff
Each beetle has its place in nature, but some have found a captivating place in our imaginations too.
“Beetles are everywhere,” points out Max Barclay, our Senior Curator of Coleoptera, in his new book Interesting Beetles.
Somehow picking from the more than 400,000 described species and the 10 million beetle specimens we care for, Max tells the tale of this enormous group through 120 fascinating stories.
Not only do beetles come in all shapes, sizes and colours, and feature a wealth of incredible biology and behaviours, they also have deeply enduring ties to people and our culture.
From inspiring folklore and superstitions to influencing poetry and fashion, meet 15 beetles with curious connections to our human world.
Beetles in religion, folklore and mythology
Beetles have burrowed their way into religions and superstitions around the world, with their intriguing forms and behaviours inspiring everything from gods to omens of death. We’ve even named several after legendary heroes and mythical monsters.
Sacred scarabs of Ancient Egypt
A sacred scarab beetle, Scarabaeus sacer.
In Ancient Egypt, dung beetles held a god-like status.
In Interesting Beetles, Max explains that “the scarab-headed god Khepri was one of the manifestations of the chief god Ra in Ancient Egypt and was responsible for the morning Sun”. As scarabs rolled their balls of manure along, they became a metaphor, with people associating them with Khepri rolling the Sun across the sky each day.
Scarab beetles are depicted in Ancient Egyptian art, statues and jewellery. There are even examples of mummified scarab beetles – in Ancient Egypt, animal mummies were frequently created as offerings to gods.
Beetles and Greek mythology
A minotaur beetle, Typhaeus typhoeus.
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur has the body of a man and the head of a bull. It lived in a labyrinth on the island of Crete and devoured human sacrifices until being slain by Athenian hero Theseus.
So, why name a beetle after this mythological creature? It’s all to do with where it chooses to live, Max explains. “The minotaur beetle also lives in a labyrinth, but of its own construction. It’s much less predatory than its namesake, feeding only on dung, which it collects and stores in underground chambers.”
The minotaur beetle is just one of several species we’ve linked to ancient Greek stories.
The violin beetle, Mormolyce phyllodes, gets its common name from its body shape, while its scientific name is more fantastical. Mormolyce refers to a forest phantom or malignant spirit from Greek mythology.
This jet-black beetle covered in circles of iridescent scales is the Philippine jewel weevil, Pachyrhynchus argus. Its eye-catching patterns inspired its scientific name, with argus referring to the many-eyed Argus from Greek mythology.
In Greek mythology, Atlas is the powerful titan who held up the sky. In the world of Coleoptera, we’ve given this name to Atlas beetles, Chalcosoma moellenkampi. This giant three-horned rhinoceros beetle, found only on Borneo and Sumata, is up to 11 centimetres long, making it the largest of its group.
Even larger, the Hercules beetle, Dynastes hercules, is one of the world’s biggest beetles. It’s named after the legendarily strong Greek hero Hercules. The males’ long horns, which contribute to their body length of up to 19 centimetres, are used in sparring matches with each other.
Death watch beetles counting down to your doom?
A death watch beetle, Xestobium rufovillosum.
The death watch beetle – a harbinger of death or a spine-tingling coincidence?
Death watch beetles are woodworms. As larvae they feed on dry oak, either deep in trees or in houses and furniture. The adults emerge at night and signal to a mate by tapping their head on the wood, creating an ominous ticking sound.
“These disturbing nocturnal noises gave the beetle its grim name,” explains Max. “In the times before electricity, when people rose with the dawn and slept at dusk, the only reason to be awake in the dead of night – and so likely to hear the sound – was when someone was sick.”
Stag beetles and the god of thunder
Stag beetles turn up in various folkloric beliefs. For example, ancient Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder wrote that by hanging their heads around children’s necks you could ward off sickness. They’ve also been accused of causing domestic fires by allegedly carrying burning coals up into attic spaces.
Stag beetles are also associated with Donar, the German name for hammer-wielding Thor, the god of thunder in Norse mythology. The larvae of this species live in and feed on wood, most often oak. This activity was thought to attract lightning strikes, with the adults becoming known as Donnergueg, meaning thunder beetle, and Donnerschröter, meaning thunder spreader.
A European stag beetle, Lucanus cervus.
A seven-spot ladybird, Coccinella septempunctata.
Seven-spot ladybird symbolism
Did you know that ladybirds are associated with Mary, the mother of Jesus in Christianity?
“Coccinella comes from the Latin for scarlet, while ‘lady’ is a reference to Our Lady Mary, Mother of Christ, who was traditionally portrayed in a scarlet robe,” Max explains. The seven spots of Coccinella septempunctata, a species found in the UK, supposedly represents her seven joys and seven sorrows.
You can see a giant model of a ladybird on display in our new Nature and Us Gallery. It was originally created for our Insect Gallery in the 1930s. While other insect models at this time were created to educate people about insect-borne diseases, it’s thought the ladybird was made for its positive associations. These pest-controlling insects were celebrated in European folklore as protectors. Today, they’re common in children’s books and rhymes, and as symbols of good fortune.
Beetles in books, poetry and art
Our obsession with beetles goes beyond myth and legend. We still use them in creative works today, including in art, books and films. Sometimes they’re simply part of the story, but beetles can also symbolise more complex ideas.
A violet ground beetle, Carabus violaceus.
Violet ground beetles and Winnie-the-Pooh
Author Alan Alexander Milne is best known for his poems and children’s books about beloved teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh.
In 1927, he published Now We are Six, a collection of children’s poems, some of which feature Pooh. Also included is Forgiven, which is about a beetle named Alexander who lived in a matchbox until accidentally being released by the narrator’s Nanny who was looking for a match.
Carabus species are long lived, flightless beetles that can be kept as pets. “Alan Alexander Milne’s illustrations show that he intended Alexander to be a Carabus species, probably Carabus violaceus, which is quite common in Sussex, England, where the poem is set,” Max explains.
A female glow-worm beetle, Lampyris noctiluca.
Fireflies and their fleeting beauty
Fireflies use a chemical reaction to create lights that they use to attract a mate. In the UK, we call them glow-worms thanks to the wingless female’s appearance. Elsewhere, related species are more recognisably beetle-like and fly while flashing their lights. It’s perhaps unsurprising that these summer light shows have inspired creative minds.
For example, over the last 400 years in Japan, fireflies have appeared in numerous paintings and woodblock prints, known as ukiyo-e. They often show people watching fireflies – which is still a popular pastime – as well as catching them.
Adult fireflies have short lives, and so we also find stories where their transient existence is used as a metaphor. For example, in Grave of the Fireflies, a semi-autobiographical short story and later acclaimed animated film by Studio Ghibli. Set during the firebombing attack on Kobe, Japan, in 1945, the beetles act as a reflection on impermanence and the fragility of human life. Their fleeting illuminations also embody both childhood innocence and the loss of it.
Beetles in jewellery and fashion
We’ve been featuring beetles in our creative works and storytelling for hundreds of years. But our passion for them has migrated from our imagined world into the physical too, with us also adorning our bodies with theirs.
The brooch that needs a leash
Two specimens of Zopherus chilensis, a species known as the maquech. One has been turned into a decorative brooch.
Look closer at this jazzy brooch and you’ll start to spot some unexpected characteristics, such as legs.
That’s because it’s made from a flightless beetle known as the maquech from South and Central America. Following a tradition from Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, this nineteenth-century one was decorated and attached to a chain so that it could be worn as living jewellery.
“When unadorned it’s patterned in brown, grey and black, to camouflage on the lichen-encrusted bark of fallen trees, and lives an unassuming life away from the spotlight,” says Max.
A jewel beetle, Sternocera aequisignata.
Jewel beetles and a Shakesperean tragedy
This iridescent green insect is a jewel beetle. It’s found across much of South and Southeast Asia, where its wing cases have been used a bit like large, natural sequins to embellish clothing.
This tradition made its way to Europe in the 1800s. During the Victorian Era, beetle wings were sent to Britain in huge numbers to be applied to dresses. The most famous of these is perhaps the dress worn by actress Ellen Terry as Lady Macbeth in 1888.
“Her sensational beetle-wing dress is preserved at her former home at Smallhythe Place, Kent, England, where it still draws tourists after nearly 140 years,” says Max.
A brooch featuring five Atlantic tortoise beetles, Polychalca punctatissima.
Atlantic tortoise beetles and Tutankhamun’s tomb
At the start of the twentieth century, Atlantic tortoise beetles were quite popular in costume jewellery thanks to their light weight, shiny appearance and durability.
They became particularly popular in the wake of the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in Egypt in 1922. This species is found in eastern Brazil, but that didn’t stop people selling them as scarabs, despite them being unrelated and not from Egypt.
“This unusual object is an antique mourning brooch, made with five specimens of Polychalca punctatissima, which have, rather strangely, been blackened to make the brooch more funereal,” Max explains.
The wonder of a weevil
A ring featuring a Hispaniolan regal weevil, Tetrabothynus regalis.
“About 200 years ago, someone somewhere loved weevils so much they had one set in a gold ring,” says Max. The glorious patterns of the featured Hispaniolan regal weevil, found only on the Caribbean island Hispaniola, make it easy to understand why.
This ring likely comes from the original collection of Sir Hans Sloane, which formed the basis of the collections we care for today. Based on its size, the ring was probably made to fit a man.
Around the face of the ring is a quote from ancient Roman poet Virgil – “Admiranda tibi levium spectacula rerum”. It roughly translates into English as “see with wonder what the smallest of creature shows us”. The perfect sentiment to go alongside a perfectly stunning little weevil!
Interesting Beetles
Packed with facts and stunning images, dive into the world of beetles and get to know some of the fascinating species we share our planet with.
You can buy the book from Bookshop.orgopens in a new window, Waterstonesopens in a new window and Amazonopens in a new window.
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