Devil's Coach Horse

Name: Devil's Coach Horse

Scientific name: Staphylinus olens

Category: Minibeasts

Nature Stars: 40

What are nature stars?

About: A common beetle of gardens, often found under stones and in compost heaps where it is a voracious predator. The Devil's Coach Horse is all black, about 2cm long with a characteristically cocked tail.

How to identify: A member of the rove beetle family, of which there are more than 1000 species in Britain! The devil's coach horse is a medium sized, long, narrow black beetle with large jaws, shortish legs and very short wing cases.

Where: Widespread

Natural Superpowers

• Predator: 90
• Agility: 60
• Rarity: 40
• Cute factor: 20
• Traveller: 20

Fantastic fact: Rove beetles are one of the most diverse families of animals on the planet: there are at least 46,000 specis described so far, with many more undiscovered!

Photograph credit: Ken-ichi Ueda