Rove Beetle (larvae)

Description:

Rove beetles are very common insects that usually go unnoticed. They are slender, elongate beetles with the distinctive characteristic of having wing covers that are much shorter than the abdomen. The result is that over half of the top surface of the abdomen is exposed. Most rove beetles are black or brown. One common species has grayish markings on the wings and abdomen. Rove beetles are very active fliers or runners. When they run they often raise the tip of the abdomen.

Habitat:

They are found in or near decaying organic matter, especially dead animals. They have the interesting habit of feeding on other insects such as fly maggots that infest carrion (less often dung or fungus).