Common Christmas Beetle vs Stenus Jet Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Common Christmas Beetle Stenus Jet Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Anoplognathus pallidicollis Stenus bimaculatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Scarabaeidae Staphylinidae
Size 20-30 mm 4-6 mm
Habitat Woodlands Ponds & Lakes
Diet Root Feeders Omnivores
Regions Australia Europe, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Common Christmas Beetle

A glossy golden-brown scarab beetle that swarms around lights during the Australian summer. It is the most commonly encountered Christmas beetle species.

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Did You Know?

Their emergence in December each year gave them the common name Christmas beetle.

Stenus Jet Rove Beetle

A small rove beetle with bulging eyes and an extensible sticky labium used to capture springtails. It can skim across water using a surfactant secretion.

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Did You Know?

It secretes a chemical that lowers surface tension behind it, propelling it across water at remarkable speed.