Coastal Rove Beetle vs Crawling Water Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Coastal Rove Beetle Crawling Water Beetle
Scientific Name Cafius xantholoma Haliplus ruficollis
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Haliplidae
Size 6-9 mm 2-3 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Ponds & Lakes
Diet Predators Herbivores
Regions Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Coastal Rove Beetle

A medium-sized rove beetle with yellowish elytral margins, highly adapted to life on seashores. It lives under seaweed wrack on beaches where it preys on kelp fly larvae.

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Did You Know?

This beetle can survive temporary submersion in seawater during high tides by trapping an air bubble under its elytra.

Crawling Water Beetle

A tiny, oval water beetle with a yellowish body covered in rows of dark punctures. Unlike diving beetles, it crawls slowly among aquatic vegetation rather than swimming actively.

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Did You Know?

It stores air beneath enlarged hind coxal plates, which act as a built-in oxygen reservoir while submerged.