The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With roughly 63,000 species in thousands of genera, the group is currently recognized as the largest extant family of organisms. It is an ancient group, with fossilized rove beetles known from the Triassic, 200 million years ago, and possibly even earlier if the genus Leehermania proves to be a member of this family. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles, and commonly encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.
The Omaliinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles.
Staphylinoidea is a superfamily of beetles. It is a very large and diverse group with worldwide distribution.
The Paederinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles. The Paederinae include two tribes, Paederini and Pinophilini. This insect is commonly known as Tomcat.
Dasycerinae is a subfamily of rove beetles. Dasycerinae currently only contains 1 extant genus and 3 extinct genera.
The Aleocharinae are one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles, containing over 12,000 species. Previously subject to large-scale debate whether the subfamily deserved the familial status, it is now considered one of the largest subfamilies of rove beetles.
The Empelinae are a subfamily of rove beetles ; their biology is virtually unknown. Their anatomy and ecology resemble many rove beetles.
The Euaesthetinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae (Coleoptera). These rove beetles have slender antennae with two or three apical antennomeres forming a loose club. The tarsi have 4-4-4 or 5-5-5 segments. They are found in forest litter. Five genera and 22 species known from North America.
The Leptotyphlinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles. They are very small, less than 1.8 mm long, and are eyeless and wingless. These beetles appear to have seven abdominal segments, and 3-3-3 is their tarsal formula. They are found in leaf litter or deep soil, possibly as predators of mites, collembola, and other soil arthropods. Nine genera and 13 species are known from North America, in western states and Florida, but they may be more widespread.
The Micropeplinae are a subfamily of the Staphylinidae, rove beetles. Their antennae have 9 segments with single-segmented clubs. The tarsal formula is 4-4-4. They are found in leaf litter, near lake shores and marshy areas, in mammal and bird nests, probably as saprophages or mold feeders. In North America, two genera are known Kalissus LeConte 1874 and Micropeplus Latreille, with 14 widespread species.
Proteininae Erichson 1839 are a subfamily of Staphylinidae.
Pseudopsinae is a beetle subfamily of Staphylinidae.
Scaphidiinae is a subfamily of Staphylinidae.
Many species of Staphylinidae have developed complex interspecies relationships with ants, known as myrmecophily. Rove Beetles are among the most rich and diverse families of myrmecophilous beetles, with a wide variety of relationships with ants. Ant associations range from near free-living species which prey only on ants, to obligate inquilines of ants, which exhibit extreme morphological and chemical adaptations to the harsh environments of ant nests. Some species are fully integrated into the host colony, and are cleaned and fed by ants. Many of these, including species in tribe Clavigerini, are myrmecophagous, placating their hosts with glandular secretions while eating the brood
Colilodion schulzi is a species of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae. This small, robust, reddish-brown rove beetle is known from a single specimen, a 2.37 millimetres (0.093 in) long female. It is in the genus Colilodion. It resembles the species C. concinnus and C. inopinatus with its enlarged antennomeres III, but it is easily distinguished by the greater maximum width and less variable width of these appendages, and by other morphological characteristics. Although its ecology is unknown, the presence of trichomes and the knowledge of related species, such as Staphylinidae suggests that this insect is myrmecophilous. The holotype was collected in 2009 in Palawan (Philippines) while sifting plant debris in a coniferous forest. The species was described in 2016 by the coleopterists Zi-Wei Yin from Shanghai Normal University and Giulio Cuccodoro from the Natural History Museum of Geneva, where the type specimen is part of the collection. The taxon's specific denomination is dedicated to the German myrmecologist Andreas Schulz, collector of the specimen.
Colilodion, sole member of the tribe Colilodionini, is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae and comprising eight species from Southeast Asia.
Articerodes is a genus of beetles belonging to the family Staphylinidae. Species of Articerodes have been found within the Palearctic, Oriental, and Afrotropical biogeographic realms. In the Oriental realm, four species were known, all from islands. The first examples found on the Asian mainland were discovered and described in 2008 by Dr. Shuhei Nomura, Dr. Watana Sakchoowong and Dr. Jariya Chanpaisaeng.
Kenocoelus is a genus of rove beetles containing a number of species, all endemic to New Zealand. It is part of the Trichonychini tribe, in the Pselaphinae subfamily of Staphylinidae.
Eusphalerum is a genus of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are at least 130 described species in Eusphalerum.
Omaliini is a tribe of ocellate rove beetles in the family Staphylinidae. There are about 12 genera and 19 described species in Omaliini.
