Rove Beetles – Staphylinidae

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Rove Beetles

 

Family: Staphylinidae

Common Name: Rove Beetles

Appearance: Rove beetles are the largest family of beetles found in North America. They are 1-44 mm long depending upon the species but mostly are 7-8 mm long with slender, black to the brown body and a black head. The thorax is mostly red or orange with short front wings below it. Due to the short elytra (wing covers), the abdominal segments are clearly visible. When they get disturbed or run, they curl the end tip of their abdomen upward.

Host Plants or Food: Flies, mites, Root maggots, eggs and larvae, and many other small insects.

Territory: Found throughout North America with almost 4000 species, Europe, and the Eastern States of Australia.

Mode of Damage: Beneficial Garden Insect

Habits and Life History:

  • Due to the large diversity and species of this family, these beetles do not habitat a fixed environment. They live in a variety of environments that suit them.
  • Some species live in leaf litter, decomposing matter, grassland, and space under soil and bar.
  • Some species live in the nest of other insects and vertebrate animals, and some live on the banks of lakes, and some live on seashores.
  • Their eggs are white and have many shapes, including spherical, spheroidal, and pyriform.
  • Larvae of rove beetles are elongated with flat bodies and heavy heads with distinct necks.
  • Pupae of all the subfamilies are unsclerotized except one subfamily that is Staphylininae.
  • Pupae develop into adults very rapidly and have a long life.