Swift Rove Beetle vs North American Alderfly

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Swift Rove Beetle North American Alderfly
Scientific Name Tachyporus hypnorum Sialis infumata
Order Coleoptera Megaloptera
Family Staphylinidae Sialidae
Size 3-4 mm 15-20 mm wingspan
Habitat Farmland Rivers & Streams
Diet Predators Predators
Regions Europe, North Asia, introduced to North America Eastern North America
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Swift Rove Beetle

A small, streamlined rove beetle of the subfamily Tachyporinae with a tapered posterior and bicolored body. It is extremely abundant in agricultural fields and an important predator of cereal aphids.

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Did You Know?

Despite their tiny size, Tachyporus beetles can consume more aphids per day than many larger predatory beetles, making them key biocontrol agents.

North American Alderfly

A small, dark-winged alderfly common near ponds and slow streams across eastern North America. Adults are clumsy fliers often found resting on streamside plants.

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Did You Know?

Larvae spend one to two years burrowing in pond mud before emerging for a brief adult life of just days.