Stenus Jet Rove Beetle vs Northern Snow Scorpionfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Stenus Jet Rove Beetle Northern Snow Scorpionfly
Scientific Name Stenus bimaculatus Boreus westwoodi
Order Coleoptera Mecoptera
Family Staphylinidae Boreidae
Size 4-6 mm 3-4 mm
Habitat Ponds & Lakes Forests
Diet Omnivores Omnivores
Regions Europe, Asia Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Finland, northern Russia
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.

Northern Snow Scorpionfly

A small, dark, flightless scorpionfly that appears on snow in late autumn and early winter. It is glossy black-brown with elongated mouthparts for feeding on mosses. Females have a prominent pointed ovipositor.

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Did You Know?

Despite being wingless, this insect can jump short distances using its powerful hind legs to move quickly across snow.