Coastal Rove Beetle vs Saltmarsh Mosquito

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Coastal Rove Beetle Saltmarsh Mosquito
Scientific Name Cafius xantholoma Aedes sollicitans
Order Coleoptera Diptera
Family Staphylinidae Culicidae
Size 6-9 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Beaches & Coastal
Diet Predators Blood Feeders
Regions Atlantic coasts of Europe and North Africa Atlantic and Gulf coasts of North America
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.

Saltmarsh Mosquito

A golden-brown mosquito that breeds in enormous numbers in coastal salt marshes. It is a strong flier capable of traveling over 60 km from breeding sites.

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Did You Know?

Swarms can be so dense near salt marshes that they have driven livestock to exhaustion.