black beetle

English

Alternative forms

  • blackbeetle, black-beetle

Noun

black beetle (plural black beetles)

  1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see black,‎ beetle.
  2. An oriental cockroach (Blatta orientalis), a large roach from the family Blattidae.
  3. (New Zealand) A similar roach native to New Zealand, of species Maoriblatta novaeseelandiae (syn. Platyzosteria novaeseelandia), Maori bug.
  4. A common name for many species of beetle that are black in color, including:
    1. An African black beetle (Heteronychus arator), a serious pest of grasses in New Zealand.
    2. An Asiatic rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros), a pest of palm trees in tropical Asia.
    3. A member of the European species Pterostichus nigrita (syn. Feronia nigrita).

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See also