USA: Wyoming, Park County:

Yellowstone NP, WASH N1

Pitfall Trap, 21 September-04 October 2018 E. Oberg

Beetles That Walks on Water! - Staphylinids

Rove beetles like this one are one of the most common and widely distributed organisms on the planet. Members of this family are highly variable in nearly all aspects of their ecology, and it’s this variability to which they owe their success. Rove beetles have a variety of adaptations that have allowed them to survive and thrive. Several species are well suited to hunting even smaller insects known as springtails at the water’s edge. To most insects, an encounter with large amounts of water would mean certain death, but several Staphylinid when exposed to water will eject a special chemical from their abdomen that creates more surface tension, allowing them to “walk on water.” Other specialized adaptations include raising their abdomen in a scorpion like pose and the building communal nests with butterflies in South America. With an estimated 75% of rove beetles still undescribed, the mysteries of these diverse insects are just beginning to unfold. Original public domain image from Flickr