Red-bellied Rove Beetle vs Pond Olive Mayfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute	Red-bellied Rove Beetle	Pond Olive Mayfly
Scientific Name	Tasgius melanarius	Cloeon dipterum
Order	Coleoptera	Ephemeroptera
Family	Staphylinidae	Baetidae
Size	15-20 mm	6-9 mm
Habitat	Gardens	Gardens
Diet	Predators	Omnivores
Regions	Europe, introduced to North America and Australia	Europe, Asia
Conservation	Least Concern	Least Concern

Red-bellied Rove Beetle

A large, shiny black rove beetle with a reddish-brown abdominal tip, found in synanthropic habitats across Europe. It is commonly encountered in gardens and urban areas where it hunts at night.

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Did You Know?

This beetle is one of the most synanthropic rove beetles, frequently entering houses and cellars where it is often mistaken for an earwig.

Pond Olive Mayfly

One of the few mayflies that breeds in still water including garden ponds and rain barrels. Unusually for a mayfly, females are ovoviviparous.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only mayflies that gives birth to live nymphs rather than laying eggs, a unique trait in the order.