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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Staphyliniformia » Staphylinoidea » Rove Beetles (Staphylinidae) » Water Skaters (Steninae) » Stenus
Photo#10194
skinny black rove beetle - Stenus
Copyright © 2005 Robin McLeod

skinny black rove beetle - Stenus
Ailsa Craig, Ontario, Canada
November 9, 2004
Size: about 6 mm
On recently fallen leaves in deciduous woods. These small slender ones probably belong to a different tribe or subfamily than the chunky ones.
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Contributed by Robin McLeod on 24 January, 2005 - 9:36pm
Last updated 28 March, 2005 - 11:05am

Stenus sp.
This looks like a species of Stenus. They prey almost exclusively on springtails, using an extendable "lip," much like a dragonfly nymph, to grab a victim. Additionally, they can take to the surface of water, using an anal secretion to lower the surface tension of the water, effectively giving them a "jet-propelled" locomotion mechanism.
… Eric R. Eaton, 25 January, 2005 - 11:03am login or register to post comments

 
Eric- You're right on with
Eric-

You're right on with the determination- it's a Stenus, all right. There are over 1,000 species worldwide (maybe 2,000?) and who knows how many in North America. They all look very similar- once you've seen a [i]Stenus/i], you've them all, more or less...

cheers,

zack
… Zack Falin, 7 March, 2005 - 8:55pm login or register to post comments

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