Apteroloma caraboides

This high elevation snowfield beetle resembles a ground beetle, but is in fact a primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae. This one forages for insects that have fallen onto the ice. Sierra Nevada, California, USA.

Nicrophorus orbicollis

Nicrophorus orbicollis burying beetle. Dixon Springs, Illinois, USA

Hololepta

Hololepta - Clown Beetle. Santa Rita Mountains, Arizona, USA. filename: hololepta3

Hololepta

A flat clown beetle slips out from its hiding place under tree bark. Note the mites riding on its forelegs. Gatlinburg, Tennessee, USA.

Hister lagoi

Portrait of a clown beetle. Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Texas, USA. Thanks to Michael Caterino for the ID.

Plochionocerus

Plochionocerus rove beetle curled up in defensive position. Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Plochionocerus

Plochionocerus rove beetle Jatun Sacha reserve, Napo, Ecuador

Philonthus

A rove beetle folds its membranous flight wings away under the hardened elytra after arriving to a porch light. Austin, Texas, USA.

An antlike stone beetle (Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae). Yandoit, Victoria, Australia

Adranes

An Adranes ant beetle inside the brood nest of a Lasius field ant. California, USA.

Rove beetle larvae (Staphylinidae) in a rotting log. Kibale forest, Uganda

Phacophallus tricolor

The tricolored rove beetle is a common introduced species found near areas of human habitation around the world. Dripping Springs, Texas, USA.

Stenus

Few rove beetles seem more alert than Stenus, whose large eyes and quick movements help them hunt prey along the shores of lakes and rivers. Lakehills, Texas, USA.

Stenus

The rove beetle genus Stenus is among the world's largest genera, with many thousands of species. Lakehills, Texas, USA.

Stenus

Few rove beetles seem more alert than Stenus, whose large eyes and quick movements help them hunt prey along the shores of lakes and rivers. Lakehills, Texas, USA.

Staphylinidae

Rove beetle. Yarra Glen, VIctoria, Australia.

Staphylinidae

Rove beetle. Yarra Glen, Victoria, Australia.

Staphylinidae

Up close with a paederine rove beetle. Dripping Springs, Texas, USA.

Staphylinidae

Dripping Springs, Texas, USA.

Vatesus sp.

Some of the world's strangest and most interesting beetles live only in ant colonies, skimming from the ants' vast resources to make their living. Here, a Vatesus rove beetle runs in a colony of Eciton army ants. Armenia, Belize

Myrmecosaurus ferrugineus

The rove beetle Myrmecosaurus ferrugineus is an associate of fire ants and is typically found in their nests. This one was photographed in the galleries of a red imported fire ant colony, Solenopsis invicta. Brackenridge Field Laboratory, Texas, USA.

Phanolinus

A colorful rove beetle from the Ecuadorian cloud forest. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.

Phanolinus

A colorful rove beetle from the Ecuadorian cloud forest. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.

Phanolinus

Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.

Staphylinidae

In an impressive display of multi-tasking, a rove beetle mates while hunting an injured ant. Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador.