Trico Mayfly vs Red and Black Rove Beetle

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Trico Mayfly Red and Black Rove Beetle
Scientific Name Tricorythodes stygiatus Paederus riparius
Order Ephemeroptera Coleoptera
Family Leptohyphidae Staphylinidae
Size 3-6 mm 7-10 mm
Habitat Rivers & Streams Rivers & Streams
Diet Detritivores Omnivores
Regions North America Europe, Asia, Africa
Conservation Least Concern Least Concern

Trico Mayfly

A tiny mayfly that forms enormous morning spinner falls over calm streams and rivers. Males have distinctive white bodies with black thoraxes.

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Did You Know?

Trico spinner falls create such dense blankets of spent mayflies on the water surface that trout gorge themselves to satiation.

Red and Black Rove Beetle

A small but notorious rove beetle with a red thorax and abdomen and blue-black elytra. Its hemolymph contains pederin, a potent blistering toxin.

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Did You Know?

Crushing this beetle on skin causes painful blistering dermatitis known as Paederus dermatitis.