Devils Coach Horse Beetle - Ask Extension
How can I tell the difference between a male and female devils coach horse beetle.
Knowledgebase
Devils Coach Horse Beetle #773824
Asked October 01, 2021, 1:59 PM EDT
How can I tell the difference between a male and female devils coach horse beetle.
Clatsop County Oregon
Expert Response
Hi Kalani,
That's a neat question and I didn't know the answer myself. As a result, I asked a specialist who studies the devil's coach horse, Ocypus olens, and other related rove beetles (Order: Coleptera, Family: Staphylinidae). The specialist I consulted is Dr. Adam Brunke. Here is what he wrote...
"If you flip the beetles over, check the final segment of the abdomen. The ventral plate will have a V-shaped notch in the males, while females will have no notch. This is particularly obvious in O. olens, but other rove beetles will have much fainter differences and some genera have no discernable differences."
Hope that helps!
That's a neat question and I didn't know the answer myself. As a result, I asked a specialist who studies the devil's coach horse, Ocypus olens, and other related rove beetles (Order: Coleptera, Family: Staphylinidae). The specialist I consulted is Dr. Adam Brunke. Here is what he wrote...
"If you flip the beetles over, check the final segment of the abdomen. The ventral plate will have a V-shaped notch in the males, while females will have no notch. This is particularly obvious in O. olens, but other rove beetles will have much fainter differences and some genera have no discernable differences."
Hope that helps!
