Large Tropical Rove Beetle vs Narrow-necked Ant Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Large Tropical Rove Beetle Narrow-necked Ant Beetle
Scientific Name Hesperus rufipennis Dinarda dentata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Staphylinidae
Size 18-25 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Predators Gall Makers
Regions West Africa, Central Africa Europe, Northern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Large Tropical Rove Beetle

A large, impressive tropical rove beetle with red elytra and a black head and pronotum. It is one of the larger staphylinids in the African tropical forest fauna.

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Did You Know?

This beetle can deliver a painful bite with its powerful mandibles if handled carelessly, one of the few rove beetles capable of breaking human skin.

Narrow-necked Ant Beetle

A flattened, reddish-brown aleocharine rove beetle that inhabits Formica ant nests as a tolerated guest. Its flattened body allows it to move easily through narrow ant nest galleries.

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Did You Know?

If attacked by an ant, this beetle raises its abdomen to present its appeasement glands, releasing chemicals that calm the aggressor.