Large Gold Rove Beetle vs Black Caterpillar Hunter

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Gold Rove Beetle Black Caterpillar Hunter
Scientific Name Staphylinus caesareus Calosoma sayi
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Carabidae
Size 17-25 mm 20-28 mm
Habitat Farmland Grasslands
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe, Western Asia Central and western North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Large Gold Rove Beetle

A large and handsome rove beetle with golden pubescence on its thorax and bright orange abdominal bands. It is an aggressive predator of carrion-feeding insects.

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Did You Know?

Its species name caesareus means imperial, referring to its regal golden markings.

Black Caterpillar Hunter

A large, entirely black caterpillar hunter beetle native to North American prairies and grasslands. It is a powerful runner that hunts caterpillars, especially cutworms, at night.

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Did You Know?

Pioneer farmers on the Great Plains observed massive aggregations of this beetle appearing after rain to hunt cutworm outbreaks and called them rain beetles or thunderbugs.