Order Coleoptera
Beetles
InsectBest Season: May–Sep
Best locations
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Expert creators
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Field Reports (12 months)
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(c) Peter Vos, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Peter Vos
About this species
Beetles (order Coleoptera) are the single most species-rich group of animals on Earth, and India's forests hold an extraordinary share of that diversity — from iridescent jewel beetles and giant stag beetles to dung beetles that play an outsized role in nutrient cycling. Guide to India's beetles (Coleoptera): jewel beetles, stag beetles, dung beetles and longhorns — habitat, behaviour, best season and where to photograph them.
Behavior
Most are nocturnal or crepuscular and attracted to light, making a simple white sheet and lamp at a forest lodge one of the most productive ways to see diversity in a single evening. Dung beetles are conspicuously active by day, rolling or burying dung within minutes of it appearing.
Diet
Extremely varied by family — wood and fungus for longhorns and stag beetles, foliage for leaf beetles, other insects for ground and tiger beetles, and dung for scarabs.
Field Reports
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Best locations for Beetles
Reserves and landscapes where our photographers reliably encounter this species, with links to place-specific guides.
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When and Where to Photograph Beetles
A "light sheet" set up after dusk at a forest edge is the classic technique — beetles, moths and other night-flying insects arrive within the hour. By day, check flowering shrubs for jewel beetles and fresh dung piles (a somewhat less glamorous but reliable tip) for scarabs.
Plan field days around May–Sep: light is often strongest at dawn and dusk, when many mammals and birds are most active. Work with a naturalist who knows local movement patterns — they will position you ethically while improving your odds of a encounter in key reserves across India.