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The elytra, which formerly covered the wings, are protective and don't help with flight.

Their delicate wings are usually kept hidden under two hard moveable wing-like shells called elytra.

One early idea that was proposed as an explanation is that beetles have hardened forewings, called elytra, that form a protective capsule over their flight wings.

But there are more than a half-million known beetle species, and until now, all have had at least some form of hard forewing elytra.

The elytra stabilize the beetle and its churning wings, preventing it from spinning.