THERE are more species of beetle than of any other insect and the current known total of about 400,000 amounts to one-quarter of all animal species in the world. Something of that vastness is reflected in the huge Coleoptera collection in the Natural History Museum, London SW7, which runs to more than 100,000 type specimens. Built upon the historic endeavours of well-travelled beetle hunters, such as Sir Joseph Banks, Charles Darwin, Alfred Russel Wallace, David Sharp and George Lewis, down to more recent entomologists, including Derek Lott and Eric Philp, it is one of the most important collections of its type.
Britain alone is home to about 4,000 members of the order, a total exceeded only by (flies) and (ants, wasps, bees). Although these isles have nothing on the scale of the Titan () or Hercules () beetles, we are blessed with a rich diversity of types, reflecting their remarkable adapt ability across the various species. Some live above ground, others below. Some
