Philippine Milk Termite vs Lined Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Philippine Milk Termite Lined Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Coptotermes vastator Tachinus signatus
Order Blattodea Coleoptera
Family Rhinotermitidae Staphylinidae
Size 4-6 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Farmland Farmland
Diet Wood Feeders Dung Feeders
Regions Philippines Europe, Japan, Eastern Asia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Philippine Milk Termite

The most destructive termite species in the Philippines, causing severe damage to buildings, trees, and crops. Colonies can be enormous with millions of workers. Soldiers produce a white, milky defensive secretion from the frontal gland.

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Did You Know?

This species is so destructive in the Philippines that entire coconut plantations have been devastated, leading to major government-funded control programs.

Lined Rove Beetle

A medium-sized rove beetle with distinctly patterned elytra bearing lighter margins. It is commonly found in fungal habitats and dung across much of the Northern Hemisphere.

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Did You Know?

Males of this species have modified abdominal segments that function as clasping organs during mating.