rove beetle

noun

Definition of rove beetle

: any of a family (Staphylinidae) of often predatory active beetles having a long body and very short elytra beneath which the wings are folded transversely

— called also staphylinid

Examples of rove beetle in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web One of Andrew’s colleagues estimates that over 3 trillion insects from one family alone, the rove beetles, may have perished so far. — Matt Simon, Wired, "Wildfires Are Obliterating Australia's Iconic Ecosystems," 8 Jan. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'rove beetle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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rover bellflower

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Cite this Entry

“Rove beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rove%20beetle. Accessed 5 Mar. 2021.

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