Skip to main content

Story: Beetles

Rove beetle

Image
Rove beetle

There are more than 1,020 species of rove beetle in New Zealand. They occur in a range of habitats, including beaches, but most are found in forest litter or under tree bark. They have long flexible bodies and eat carrion or other insects.

This specimen was collected by John Nunn.

Using this item

University of Otago

by Simon Clearwater

This item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

John Marris, Beetles – New Zealand’s beetles, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/14364/rove-beetle (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by John Marris, published 1 March 2009.