Alpine Rove Beetle vs Bloody-Nosed Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Alpine Rove Beetle	Bloody-Nosed Beetle
Scientific Name	Ocypus alpestris	Timarcha tenebricosa
Order	Coleoptera	Coleoptera
Family	Staphylinidae	Chrysomelidae
Size	14-20 mm	10-20 mm
Habitat	Forests	Hedgerows
Diet	Predators	Omnivores
Regions	Alps, Central European mountains	Western Europe
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Alpine Rove Beetle

A large, black rove beetle of high-altitude meadows and forest edges. It is a fast-running predator of insects and larvae.

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It raises its flexible abdomen like a scorpion when threatened, though it has no stinger.

A large, flightless, domed black beetle that oozes red fluid from its mouth when threatened. The secretion contains distasteful chemicals.

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The red defensive fluid is actually hemolymph, the beetle equivalent of blood.