Scarlet Malachite Beetle vs Rugose Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Scarlet Malachite Beetle Rugose Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Malachius aeneus Anotylus rugosus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Melyridae Staphylinidae
Size 5-7 mm 3-5 mm
Habitat Meadows Woodlands
Diet Pollen Feeders Scavengers
Regions Europe Cosmopolitan: Europe, Asia, Africa, Americas, Australasia
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Scarlet Malachite Beetle

A small beetle with brilliant red and metallic green coloring. Males have peculiar orange head appendages used during courtship.

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Did You Know?

The female bites and feeds on the male's orange head organs during mating as a nuptial gift.

Rugose Rove Beetle

A small, dark oxytelline rove beetle with a heavily rugose (wrinkled) surface texture. It is extremely common in dung and decaying organic matter across much of the temperate world.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the most cosmopolitan beetle species in the world, found on every continent except Antarctica.