Landcare Research - Manaaki Whenua

Landcare-Research -Manaaki Whenua

Metallic green rove beetle

Thyreocephalus orthodoxus (Olliff)


Order: Coleoptera
Family: Staphylinidae

Size range

  • About 15 mm long

Distribution

  • Australian. Common in gardens and pasture in New Zealand.

Life History

  • Predator, eats soft bodied soil insects
  • Defence posture with abdomen raised
  • Emits chemical as deterrent to predators