Shiny Lined Rove Beetle vs Globular Ant-loving Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Shiny Lined Rove Beetle Globular Ant-loving Beetle
Scientific Name Xantholinus longiventris Chennium bituberculatum
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Staphylinidae
Size 6-8 mm 1.5-2.5 mm
Habitat Underground Woodlands
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe, Western Asia, introduced to North America Mediterranean Europe, North Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Shiny Lined Rove Beetle

A distinctively elongate rove beetle with a shiny black head and pronotum, and reddish-brown elytra. It hunts in narrow spaces and is commonly found in synanthropic habitats.

💡

Did You Know?

The disproportionately large mandibles of this beetle, relative to its narrow head, allow it to subdue prey in tight spaces where it has a significant advantage.

Globular Ant-loving Beetle

A small, rounded pselaphine rove beetle with a glossy chestnut-brown body and two prominent tubercles on the pronotum. It lives as a guest in the nests of various Tetramorium ant species.

💡

Did You Know?

The two tubercles on its thorax are actually glandular organs that produce secretions attractive to its host ants.