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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) » Staphylininae » Platydracus » Platydracus maculosus
Photo#68469
Rove Beetle? - Platydracus maculosus
Copyright © 2006 Loren & Babs Padelford

Rove Beetle? - Platydracus maculosus
Bellevue, Fontenelle Forest, Sarpy County, Nebraska, USA
July 18, 2006
Size: approximately 1"
Is this a rove beetle? If so, can it be identified to genus or species?

Thanks,

Loren and Babs Padelford
Bellevue, NE
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Contributed by Loren & Babs Padelford on 3 August, 2006 - 10:50pm
Last updated 23 August, 2006 - 7:19pm

Yes, rove beetle.
This is one of our largest species, in fact, Platydracus maculosus. I have seen these in flight, always mistaking them for a large sphecid wasp until they land:-)
… Eric R. Eaton, 4 August, 2006 - 3:30pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Eric!
We thought it was a rove beetle except for the wings. All the examples we saw in our references did not show the wings.

On one occasion we saw one of these flying and thought it was a wasp.

Thanks for your help.

Loren and Babs Padelford
Bellevue, NE
… Loren & Babs Padelford, 5 August, 2006 - 12:03am login or register to post comments

 
Thanks, Eric
Thanks, Eric, I was wondering about this one. It looked perfectly fine for a Rove Beetle to me except for those black, wasp-like wings. Normally one would just see abdominal segments there on a Rove Beetle. Interesting you say they look like a wasp when they fly. I will watch for these!
… Stephen Cresswell, 4 August, 2006 - 4:24pm login or register to post comments

I doubt it
I'm not even sure if it's a beetle. It may be that it has very short elytra with wings that are normally hidden undeneath, but the wing covers/pads in the middle look sort of like those on an earwig.

I don't know enough to puzzle this one through- I'll be very interested to find out what it really is!
… Chuck Entz, 3 August, 2006 - 11:44pm login or register to post comments

 
Thanks Chuck!
So will we.

Loren and Babs Padelford
Bellevue, NE
… Loren & Babs Padelford, 4 August, 2006 - 3:03pm login or register to post comments

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