This is the larger order of insects, with well over 300,000 known species in the world and some 20,000 in Europe. About 4,000 live in the British Isles. The order contains the bulkiest of all insects - the first-sized Goliath bettle, weighing about 100g - and also some of the smallest, many of them under 0,5mm long. They are easy to recognise as such, because the forewings, known as elytra, are tough and horny and they usually cover the whole abdomen. They normally meet neatly in the mid-line without overlap, giving the insects their characteristic armoured look.