Termitophilous Rove Beetle vs Rice Weevil

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Termitophilous Rove Beetle Rice Weevil
Scientific Name Corotoca melantho Sitophilus oryzae
Order Coleoptera Coleoptera
Family Staphylinidae Curculionidae
Size 5-8 mm (body length without physogastric abdomen) 2-3.5 mm
Habitat Woodlands Indoors
Diet Omnivores Seed Feeders
Regions Brazil, tropical South America Worldwide
Conservation Least Concern Not Evaluated

Termitophilous Rove Beetle

A bizarre, physogastric rove beetle that lives inside termite nests in Brazil. The female's abdomen becomes enormously swollen and translucent, resembling a termite queen in miniature.

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Did You Know?

This is one of the only beetles known to give live birth (viviparity); fully formed larvae emerge from the female rather than eggs.

Rice Weevil

A small reddish-brown weevil that is one of the most destructive stored grain pests worldwide. Adults bore into kernels to lay eggs inside.

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Did You Know?

A single female can lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime, each deposited inside an individual grain kernel.