Sculptured Rove Beetle vs New Zealand Tiger Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Sculptured Rove Beetle New Zealand Tiger Beetle
Scientific Name Oxytelus sculptus Neocicindela tuberculata
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Cicindelidae
Size 2-4 mm 10-14 mm
Habitat Farmland Deserts & Drylands
Diet Dung Feeders Predators
Regions Cosmopolitan, all continents except Antarctica Oceania (New Zealand)
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Sculptured Rove Beetle

A tiny dung-associated rove beetle with a distinctly sculptured thorax and short elytra. It has become nearly cosmopolitan through association with livestock and agricultural habitats.

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Did You Know?

This species has hitchhiked with human agriculture across the globe and is now found on every inhabited continent.

New Zealand Tiger Beetle

An endemic tiger beetle found on sandy and clay soils throughout New Zealand. It is an active visual predator that runs down prey on bare ground. The larvae are ambush predators that live in vertical burrows in the soil.

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Did You Know?

New Zealand tiger beetles run so fast relative to their size that they temporarily go blind during pursuit, having to stop and re-locate their prey before sprinting again.