Stenus Jet Rove Beetle vs Bombardier Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Stenus Jet Rove Beetle Bombardier Beetle
Scientific Name Stenus bimaculatus Brachinus crepitans
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Carabidae
Size 4-6 mm 5-13 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Rivers & Streams
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia Europe, North America, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Stenus Jet Rove Beetle

A small rove beetle with bulging eyes and an extensible sticky labium used to capture springtails. It can skim across water using a surfactant secretion.

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Did You Know?

It secretes a chemical that lowers surface tension behind it, propelling it across water at remarkable speed.

Bombardier Beetle

Defends itself with a boiling-hot chemical spray ejected from its abdomen at over 100°C. The reaction involves mixing hydroquinone and hydrogen peroxide.

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Did You Know?

The bombardier beetle fires its chemical spray at 100°C in rapid pulses of about 70 per second, allowing its internal reaction chamber to avoid exploding.