Obtuse Rove Beetle vs Red Turpentine Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Obtuse Rove Beetle Red Turpentine Beetle
Scientific Name Tachyporus obtusus Dendroctonus valens
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Curculionidae
Size 3-4 mm 6-9 mm
Habitat Grasslands Forests
Diet Predators Sap Feeders
Regions Europe, Western Asia North America, Asia
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Obtuse Rove Beetle

A tiny, boat-shaped rove beetle with a yellow-brown pronotum and darker elytra. It is common in grasslands and meadows where it hunts among the grass tussocks for small invertebrates.

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Did You Know?

This beetle overwinters in grass tussocks at field margins, emerging in spring to colonize crop fields where it provides early-season pest control.

Red Turpentine Beetle

The largest North American Dendroctonus species, it attacks the base of pine trees. It became highly invasive in China after accidental introduction.

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Did You Know?

In China, it has killed over 10 million Pinus tabuliformis trees since its arrival in the 1980s.