Philonthus aurulentus
According to Adam Brunke at Bugguide.net, who identified this rove beetle for me, "this is Philonthus
aurulentus, a water-loving species that seems to prefer the shores of saline lakes but also occurs
elsewhere. Distribution is western and in Canada from BC to Manitoba." © Carol Davis, 4-18-2010
Woops, your slip is showing! This shot shows how the wings are tucked up under the red and black
elytra (wing covers), although one of them didn't quite get tucked enough (just pin it). And, yes, Rove
Beetles can fly and although they resemble an earwig, they are predatory insects, not pests. A few
years ago I would have squashed this puppy flat thinking it was an earwig but now I take a second
look at anything I'm about to exterminate with my summer sandal. © Carol Davis, 4-18-2010
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