Identification Guide

This website is not here to use for positive identifications of species, but rather as an image guide to visually see if you may have identified your specimen correctly from the relevant literature.

Many beetle species look identical to the naked eye and must be viewed under a microscope in order to make a positive identification. Other species can not even be separated under a microscope, and genitalia must be dissected in order to confirm your identification.

There are some British species that are easy to identify in the field and from photographs as there are no other similar species in the UK. Where this is the case, I have marked the species with an asterix and note this in the species information.

I have split the beetles up by family, and will highlight species that I have recorded in Pembrokeshire.

Please click on the family name in order to view a list of species within the family, as well as information and photographs of each species.

Cantharidae - Soldier Beetles

Carabidae - Ground Beetles

Chrysomelidae - Leaf Beetles

Coccinellidae - Ladybirds

Geotrupidae - Dor Beetles & Minotaur Beetles (Large Dung Beetles)

Meloidae - Oil Beetles

Nitidulidae - Pollen Beetles

Scarabaeidae - Dung Beetles & Chafers

Silphidae - Burying/Sexton/Carrion Beetles

Staphylinidae - Rove Beetles