False Blister Beetle vs Termitophilous Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute False Blister Beetle Termitophilous Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Ischnomera cyanea Corotoca melantho
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Oedemeridae Staphylinidae
Size 8-12 mm 5-8 mm (body length without physogastric abdomen)
Habitat Beaches & Coastal Woodlands
Diet Wood Feeders Omnivores
Regions Europe Brazil, tropical South America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

False Blister Beetle

A metallic blue beetle that develops inside rotting wood near coastal areas.

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Did You Know?

Unlike true blister beetles it does not produce cantharidin.

Termitophilous Rove Beetle

A bizarre, physogastric rove beetle that lives inside termite nests in Brazil. The female's abdomen becomes enormously swollen and translucent, resembling a termite queen in miniature.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only beetles known to give live birth (viviparity); fully formed larvae emerge from the female rather than eggs.