The rove beetle family is very large, with more than 20,000 species. They are mostly small to tiny, slender, and often black in color. Many species are nocturnal, and many are found associated with the ground, such as under leaf litter or stones, or in loose soil. Some rove beetles apparently are scavengers, but many are general predators, in both the adult and larval stages. Some have been shown to be important natural enemies of the eggs and larvae of flies that breed in manure or similar habitats.
Some types occur in vegetation where they prey on plant pests.
Checkered beetles -Family Cleridae. These beetles are often highly colored with intricate patterns. The adults are found under bark and on flowers. About 250 species are known from our region and some 2500 for the whole world. Larvae, with few exceptions, feed primarily on insects destructive to bark and wood, such as the larvae of bark beetles and longhorned beetles.