# Brown Rove Beetle

*Platydracus maculosus*

Despite their short wing covers (elytra), they have fully functional wings folded underneath and are surprisingly strong fliers.

- **Taxonomy:** Animalia › Arthropoda › Insecta › Coleoptera › Staphylinidae › Platydracus
- **IUCN Red List status:** Least Concern
- **Population trend:** stable
- **Biome:** forest
- **Habitat:** Deciduous forests, specifically within leaf litter, rotting logs, and near carrion or dung.
- **Diet:** Carnivorous; primarily hunts fly larvae (maggots), mites, and other small soil-dwelling invertebrates.
- **Range:** North America, United States, Canada
- **Size:** 20-30 mm in length
- **Lifespan:** 1 year
- **Active:** diurnal
- **Threats:** Habitat fragmentation and heavy use of broad-spectrum pesticides in forest management.
- **Safe to approach?:** Defensive. This beetle is harmless to humans but may deliver a sharp nip with its mandibles if handled. It often raises its abdomen like a scorpion to ward off threats; this is a bluff. Observe without touching. If bitten or if defensive secretions contact skin, wash the area with soap and water to prevent mild irritation.

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/1fe2ec1e-e4f4-4f80-829a-2a0c8d6b7ccc
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/61545

- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/205910059/medium.jpeg (Dan MacNeal, CC-BY, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.