LIZARD BEETLE

also called Languriid Beetle, any member of the approximately 400 species of the insect family Languriidae (order Coleoptera). Most species occur in Asia and North America. Lizard beetles are narrow and long, between 5 and 10 millimetres (0.2 to 0.4 inch). The adults, reddish in colour with dark wing covers (elytra), feed on plants. The larvae of the clover stem borer (Languria mozardi) may become serious pests in clover fields. Members of many species make squeaking sounds using well-developed stridulatory organs on top of the head.