White beetles stand out with their bright white coloration, which can take on stunning iridescent and metallic qualities. These insects encompass a diverse array of species across multiple families, each with its own unique traits and behaviors. In this article, we’ll take a look at some of the most spectacular white beetles found across the North American continent.
What Makes Some Beetles White?
Whiteness in beetles can arise through two main mechanisms. One is through structural colors. Microscopic structural features on the exoskeleton, like ridges, pits, and ridges, interfere with light waves to produce white reflections. One beetle that uses this mechanism is the Cyphochilus beetle, which has an ultra-white shell that scatters light more efficiently than any other biological material.
Another way beetles can appear white is through physical pigments like leucopterin and guanine. These compounds absorb little light across visual wavelengths causing a white appearance.
In some species, whiteness likely helps provide camouflage in white or sandy environments. In others, it may serve as aposematic warning coloration, signaling toxicity or bad taste.
17 Dazzling White Beetle Species in North America
North America hosts around 17 distinct beetle species with predominantly white coloration Here’s an overview of some of the most spectacular
1. Sri Lanka Weevil
Endemic to South Asia, the Sri Lanka weevil (Myllocerus undecimpustulatus) is an invasive pest in Florida known for attacking citrus crops. It has creamy white elytra (wing covers) marked with distinctive black spots.
2. Inflated Beetle
The aptly named inflated beetle (Cysteodemus armatus) has a round, balloon-like abdomen and sports velvety white hairs on its body. It seeks out bee nests to lay its eggs.
3. Eastern Beach Tiger Beetle
With its slick white elytra and long legs, the Eastern beach tiger beetle (Habroscelimorpha dorsalis) blends into its sandy shoreline environments with ease. Its larvae are voracious predators.
4. Fifteen-spotted Lady Beetle
As a freshly emerged adult, the fifteen-spotted ladybug (Anatis labiculata) dazzles with its pearl-white elytra punctuated by distinct black spots. It takes on a darker gray hue as it ages.
5. White Blister Beetle
Belonging to the genus Epicauta, the white blister beetle sports a creamy white body accentuated by black antennae and legs. Its abdominal segments also feature black bands.
6. Golden-headed Weevil
True to its name, the golden-headed weevil (Compsus auricephalus) couples a vibrant golden-yellow head with a snowy white body and long black snout. It feeds on plants like apple and palm.
7. Dogwood Leaf Beetle
Adorned with elegant white wing covers marked with thin winding black lines, the dogwood leaf beetle (Chrysomela philadelphica) can be found munching away on dogwood leaves.
8. Little Leaf Notcher
The little leaf notcher weevil (Artipus floridanus) punctures and feeds on citrus leaves. It has a mostly white body peppered with tiny black dots and spots.
9. Ghost Tiger Beetle
The ghost tiger beetle (Ellipsoptera lepida) inhabits sandy beaches across the United States. Its pale white coloration allows it to seamlessly blend into the sand.
10. Dectes Texas Weevil
With its elongated white body and incredibly long black antennae, the Dectes Texas weevil (Dectes texanus) cuts a very distinctive profile. It’s a major crop pest across the southern states.
11. Ashgray Blister Beetle
True to its name, the ashgray blister beetle (Epicauta fabricii) sports an elegant ash gray coloration peppered with black specks and a dark head. It feeds on plants like alfalfa and honeylocust.
12. Willow Calligrapher Beetle
Roaming willow-lined wetlands, the willow calligrapher (Calligrapha multipunctata) couples a shiny black thorax with brilliant white elytra decorated with splotches of black.
13. White Oak Borer
The white oak borer (Goes tigrinus) poses a threat to oak trees across North America. Its white body is patterned with brown and black markings that help it blend into oak bark.
14. Hoplia Beetle
In the genus Hoplia, these chunky scarab beetles couple a hairy white body with dark brown legs and underside. They feed on foliage and plant roots.
15. Cottonwood Leaf Beetle
Gliding between cottonwood trees, this elongate leaf beetle wears a lime-green coat peppered with black dots. The background color varies between white and yellow.
16. Prionus Root Borer
The longhorn beetle Prionus laticollis spends years as a larva gnawing on tree roots. As a slender adult, it sports antennae twice the length of its speckled brown-and-white body.
17. Spotted Cucumber Beetle
Punctuating its sunny yellow body, the spotted cucumber beetle (Diabrotica undecimpunctata) has 11 distinguishable black spots along its elytra. It damages cucurbit crops and pollinates flowers.
Beetle Biodiversity
As we can see, beetles display a spectacular array of shapes, sizes, colors, and behaviors. Their 400,000+ species occupy habitats across the globe, from rainforest canopies to sandy beaches and everywhere in between. Keep an eye out for white beetles on your next outdoor adventure, and take a moment to appreciate their beauty and diversity.
Insect’s bright white scales are due to randomly oriented fibers
Most Popular in Materials
What makes a white beetle so bright white? A new study shows that the brilliance originates from a network of 250-nm-thick fibers found in the interior of the beetles scales. The investigation provides an explanation for one of natures curiosities and may suggest new ways of making bright white ultrathin structures for display applications.
Credit: Courtesy of Pete Vukusic (both)
Vivid colors and dazzling patterns are commonplace among species in the animal kingdom. But animals featuring luminescent white coloring are uncommon. Cyphochilus, a beetle found in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, is an unusually white critter. Experts propose that the whiteness of the beetles thin scales, which cover its body, head, and legs, aids the bug in mimicking local white fungi and serves as a form of camouflage. The origin of that whiteness and the beetles secret for deriving so much brightness from its scales, which are thinner than synthetic bright white products, have now been revealed.
On the basis of electron microscopy analysis, researchers in England report that the beetles scales, which typically are 250 µm long, 100 µm wide, and just 5 µm thick, are composed of a tangle of randomly oriented interconnecting cuticle-like fibers 250 nm thick. According to the research group, which includes physicists Pete Vukusic and Joseph Noyes of the University of Exeter and Benny Hallam of Imerys Minerals, in Cornwall, the lack of order and periodicity in the fiber network and the fibers sparse packing arrangement and large contrast in refractive index relative to air are the sources of the beetles bright white appearance (Science 2007, 315, 348).
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Unlike the hues of colorful animal wings and other objects, which often owe their striking appearance to pigments or periodic structural order, whiteness is usually the result of random structure and lack of order. Vukusic explains that, similar to the aperiodic structures characteristic of the components of snow and milk, the irregularly spaced fibers in the beetle scales efficiently scatter all wavelengths of incident light, which causes the scales to appear very white.
Considering that they are only 5 µm thick, the beetle scales are remarkably bright white, the team stresses. To quantify that claim, the group used industry-standard whiteness rating methods and found that common uncoated paper samples, which contain disordered bleached cellulose fibers, are only 8% brighter than the beetle scales—yet they are often more than 25 times thicker. (Paper brightness is often boosted by applying coatings of crystalline materials and fluorescent dyes.)
The scattering efficiency of the fiber network might one day lead to applications in display technologies—for example, as ultrathin, flexible backing layers for white light-emitting devices.
“Nature has demonstrated that structures can be extremely thin and yet very bright,” Vukusic says. “Its up to us to take these ideas and figure out where to apply them.”
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We Fed Japanese Beetles to our Chickens (for $30)
FAQ
What beetle is white?
Cyphochilus, a beetle found in Thailand and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, is an unusually white critter.
Are white spotted Sawyer beetles harmful to humans?
- No disease vectors: They don’t carry or transmit diseases to humans.
- Not a threat to healthy trees: They primarily attack weakened, dying, or dead trees, not healthy ones.
- Limited biting: While some individuals have reported being bitten when handling the beetles, it’s not a common occurrence and the bite is not considered dangerous, according to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.
- Ecological role: Their larvae actually help break down decaying wood, contributing to nutrient cycling in the soil.
What are the tiny white beetles in my house?
Most likely to be found in the kitchen, grain mites are extremely small, pearly-white or grayish-white insects. They prefer to live in conditions with high moisture and humidity. As their name implies, they feed on processed grains, as well as wheat germ, yeast, cheese, flour and cereals.
Are click beetles harmful?
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Adult Click Beetles:
- Adult click beetles are not known to bite or sting humans, and they are not considered dangerous.
- Their defense mechanism involves a clicking sound and a sudden flip, which can be startling but not harmful.
- They are primarily a nuisance due to their presence, especially in homes.
- Adult click beetles are not known to bite or sting humans, and they are not considered dangerous.
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Click Beetle Larvae (Wireworms):
- Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles and can cause significant damage to crops, particularly in gardens and fields.
- They feed on roots and stems of various plants, including potatoes, corn, and other vegetables.
- Damage can be severe, especially in young plants.
- Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles and can cause significant damage to crops, particularly in gardens and fields.
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- Click beetles have a complete metamorphosis, with egg, larval (wireworm), pupal, and adult stages.
- The larval stage can last for several years before the beetle pupates and becomes an adult.
- Click beetles have a complete metamorphosis, with egg, larval (wireworm), pupal, and adult stages.
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Control and Prevention:
- To reduce the likelihood of wireworm infestations, practices like clean cultivation, clean fallowing, and planting crops during warm weather in shallow soil can be helpful.
- If you suspect a wireworm infestation, WebMD recommends contacting a local entomologist or agricultural expert.
- To reduce the likelihood of wireworm infestations, practices like clean cultivation, clean fallowing, and planting crops during warm weather in shallow soil can be helpful.
What is a white beetle?
Some of the most distinct beetles in the world are white. They come in different shades of white or in different color combinations where white is dominant. Some of these beetles are also found in North America. They live around different plant hosts, especially around trees and vegetables. White beetles largely feed on plant leaves.
Are there black and white beetles in North America?
North America is home to many types of black and white beetles. Various species of biting and non-biting beetles are native to the US. Some black and white beetles in the US have known pests of watermelons, cucumbers, or ornamental trees or flowers. Most species are found in Southwestern US and Southeastern US.
What kind of beetles have black spots?
One type of beetle with black spots is the ladybug or lady beetle. These small red beetles are easily recognizable by their black spots and can fly.
Where do white beetles live?
White beetles are abundant East of The Rocky Mountains and in many Southern territories across Texas and Florida and further South across Central America. The following species are seen across the North American continent. Most of them are highly active at the beginning of the summer.
Why are beetles white?
The beetles are believed to have developed white coloration to camouflage themselves among white fungi. The chitin filaments are just a few micrometres thick – far thinner than a very fine sheet of paper. The elements are tightly packed, scattering light efficiently, but still able to keep a degree of disorder in their shape.
Are these black & white click beetles real eyes?
However, these spots are false eyes, not real eyes. This species is a black-and-white beetle that is found in several areas of the United States, except for the South. Like other click beetles, the eastern eyed species has a unique ability to get away from predators.