ABSTRACT

Their name, Coleoptera (Greek, koleos, meaning "sheath," and pteron, meaning "wing"), refers to the formation of the front pair of wings into hardened wing covers under which the hind pair of wings are folded when not in use. This one feature, which affords protection through the hard cover, on the one hand, and the ability to fold the flying wings, on the other, may be the major reason for their successful evolution throughout past geological ages.