rove beetle

noun

any of numerous beetles of the family Staphylinidae, having a slender, elongated body and very short front wings, and capable of running swiftly.

Origin of rove beetle

First recorded in 1765–75

Also called staphylinid.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rove beetle

Historical Examples of rove beetle

Of this description is the maxilla in the common dung-beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius), and rove-beetle (Staphylinus olens).
An Introduction to Entomology: Vol. III (of 4)
William Kirby

British Dictionary definitions for rove beetle

rove beetle

noun

any beetle of the family Staphylinidae, characterized by very short elytra and an elongated body: typically they are of carnivorous or scavenging habits

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012