New Zealand Rove Beetle vs Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute New Zealand Rove Beetle Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle
Scientific Name Quedius antipodus Lomechusoides strumosus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Staphylinidae
Size 7-10 mm 5-6 mm
Habitat Forests Woodlands
Diet Predators Parasites
Regions New Zealand Central Europe
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

New Zealand Rove Beetle

A medium-sized, shiny dark rove beetle native to New Zealand's native forests. It is one of the most commonly encountered staphylinids in New Zealand's distinctive southern beech forests.

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Did You Know?

New Zealand's rove beetle fauna evolved in isolation for 80 million years, producing many endemic species found nowhere else on Earth.

Atemeles Ant Guest Beetle

A parasitic rove beetle that lives in ant nests, switching between Formica and Myrmica host species seasonally. Its larvae are raised by ants alongside their own brood.

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Did You Know?

It migrates between two different ant species each year, overwintering with one and breeding with another.