Tellkampf's Cave Beetle vs Ant-Nest Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Tellkampf's Cave Beetle Ant-Nest Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Neaphaenops tellkampfi Atemeles emarginatus
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Carabidae Staphylinidae
Size 5-7 mm 5-7 mm
Habitat Caves Woodlands
Diet Predators Omnivores
Regions United States Central Europe
Conservation Vulnerable Least Concern

Tellkampf's Cave Beetle

A predatory blind cave beetle endemic to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave region. It feeds primarily on eggs of cave crickets.

💡

Did You Know?

It tracks down cave cricket eggs buried in sandy cave floors using chemical cues.

Ant-Nest Rove Beetle

A small, amber-brown rove beetle that parasitizes two different ant species during its life cycle. Larvae develop in Formica nests and adults move to Myrmica nests.

💡

Did You Know?

It switches host ant species seasonally, overwintering with Myrmica ants and breeding in Formica nests in summer.