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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Longhorn, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles (Staphylinoidea) » Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) » Large Rove Beetles (Staphylininae) » Staphylinini » Platydracus » Platydracus maculosus
Photo#295626
ID help please - Platydracus maculosus
Copyright © 2009 A. Ganino

ID help please - Platydracus maculosus
Madison, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA
June 25, 2009
We found this insect in a pool, and after my son "rescued" it, it bit him hard enough to draw blood. I apologize for the picture quality, but am hoping someone can ID it for us. We're stumped. The underside of its body is fuzzy and looked almost golden in the sunlight.

Images of this individual: tag all
ID help please - Platydracus maculosus ID help please - Platydracus maculosus
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Contributed by A. Ganino on 28 June, 2009 - 8:37pm
Last updated 20 July, 2009 - 1:47pm

Moved
Moved from Rove Beetles.
Size, as compared to the fingers, is clearly above 20mm.
… Boris Büche, 20 July, 2009 - 1:47pm login or register to post comments

Either Platydracus maculo*sus
Either Platydracus maculo*sus or Platydracus come*s. The size is important, maculo*sus is 22-35mm and come*s is 13-19mm. The latter is also much less common. Hopefully you still have the specimen and can measure it. Both regularly frequent carrion and rotting fungi as predators of flies and beetles.

Cheers,
Adam
… Adam Brunke, 29 June, 2009 - 5:07pm login or register to post comments

 
about 25 mm
We do still have the specimen, which is just shy of an inch long.
… A. Ganino, 30 June, 2009 - 8:40am login or register to post comments

 
The size confirms your beetle
The size confirms your beetle as Platydracus maculosus,

Cheers,
Adam
… Adam Brunke, 30 June, 2009 - 12:17pm login or register to post comments

Looks like a rove beetle
Similar to this one:


More info here:
http://bugguide.net/node/view/14441
… apgarm, 28 June, 2009 - 8:53pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks!
I've seen smaller, black rove beetles around here many times, but never one like this. I'd have never guessed that's what this was, especially since this one died shortly after the biting incident and we didn't see it walking around with its rear end sticking up the way rove beetles do. This bug has been added to my son's insect collection, and now we can finally label it. Thanks again!
… A. Ganino, 29 June, 2009 - 11:40am login or register to post comments

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