By Christy Solo – ONPA 1st Place Award Winner for Best Local Column
This week’s crawly is funky little beetle that looks like it was built from teeny spare parts of other beetles and even other completely different arthropods.
However we promise you our 4mm (one-eighth of an inch) Genus Malthodes Soldier Beetle really is a beetle!
We’ll call these bitty bits Malts for short!
We’ll also admit this one will be tricky to see in real life. In part because of their super teeny size, but also because to date there are only 15 recorded sightings of this Genus in Oregon. Likely that is in great part due to their super teeny size.
Fun fact: There are approximately 130 species of teeny tiny malts in North America and hundreds worldwide. For all that there are only about 500 recorded sightings of the Genus in the U.S. and just under 3,000 worldwide. We mentioned they are teeny, right?
Moreover these nifty beetles are not immediately recognizable as being beetles. This really is saying something because there are a lot of beetles out there. Like, a lot. There are 25,000 described species in the U.S. and for all their diversity, most look “pretty beetle-like.” That is most of the time you can pretty quickly suss “That is a beetle” even though you may have no idea what type.
Not Malts however, at least not out in the field. Once you get a nice macro shot and see their funky short elytra (hardened wing covers) you can deduct “beetle!” But seeing one just out and about you’re more likely to think you’re looking at a sawfly or possibly an odd stonefly.
Malts are so quirky they gave (and give) entomologists pause too. They are described more by their non-typical beetle-like features than by their “beetleness.”
For example, “head not narrowed into a neck and mandibles not toothed.” In other words “head, neck and mouth look more like a stonefly.”
Also, “No other North American group of beetles, known to the author, offers such a wealth of interesting features as do these tiny creatures.” K.M. Fender, 1951
Fun fact: It’s nearly impossible to ID female Malts to species. They generally just remain “Well, she’s one of 130 possible options.” Women of mystery indeed!
For all their non-beetle-like features, Malts really do put the “soldier” in “soldier beetle” – and yes soldier beetles are named because their colors and patterns resemble military uniforms. With their short elytra malts in particular really rock that “pinned up coattails of the Revolutionary War Era” look.
While we have few facts beyond “they’re funky” about malts specifically, we do know a lot about soldier beetles (Family Cantharidae) which can help us understand why there would be so many species of such a teeny beetle. They really fill a niche, several in fact.
They are very beneficial beetles. This is, however, a pretty well-kept secret. It’s supposed that their beneficial praises aren’t lauded because they are far better in gardens than in agricultural settings. Because of this, they aren’t raised en masse as biological pest control and gardeners – and well, anyone with a yard – get to keep them all to ourselves.
What makes soldier beetles so beneficial? In general, they have a voracious appetite for aphids, caterpillars, grasshopper eggs, mites and other small pests. There are even reports of them attacking cucumber beetles.
So if you see a soldier beetle of any size in your yard, give ‘em a quick salute and thank them for their service.
