scavenger beetle

British

noun

any beetle of the mostly aquatic family Hydrophilidae, having clubbed antennae and long palps, and usually feeding on decaying vegetation

"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

Example Sentences

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See Insects. instincts of the scavenger beetle, 405.coco-nut beetle, 407.tortoise beetle, 408.

From Sketches of the Natural History of Ceylon by Tennent, James Emerson, Sir

A pretty chief truly; you are like the scavenger beetle, and think of yourself only.

From A Popular Account of Dr. Livingstone's Expedition to the Zambesi and its tributaries And of the Discovery of Lakes Shirwa and Nyassa, 1858-1864 by Livingstone, David

During the present spring a few specimens of a small scavenger beetle have been captured within the spathes of this plant….

From Wild Flowers An Aid to Knowledge of Our Wild Flowers and Their Insect Visitors by Blanchan, Neltje

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023