Illustration of rove beetle
rove beetle
noun
: 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
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But the rove beetles are much, much more diverse than the ants.
—
Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2023
For protection, many rove beetle lineages independently evolved diverse defense glands that spray noxious chemicals from different points on their abdomen.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021
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, 8 Jan. 2020
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Viviane Callier, Scientific American, 27 Sep. 2023
For protection, many rove beetle lineages independently evolved diverse defense glands that spray noxious chemicals from different points on their abdomen.
—Quanta Magazine, 16 Aug. 2021
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, 8 Jan. 2020
Cite this Entry
“Rove beetle.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rove%20beetle. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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