Bledius spectabilis

Bledius spectabilis, commonly known as the magnificent salt beetle, is a species of small rove beetle.

Bledius spectabilis
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Arthropoda
Class:	Insecta
Order:	Coleoptera
Suborder:	Polyphaga
Infraorder:	Staphyliniformia
Family:	Staphylinidae
Genus:	Bledius
Species:	B. spectabilis
Binomial name
Bledius spectabilis Kraatz, 1857

Description

This beetle is 5 to 7 millimetres long and has brightly coloured legs. The wing covers are brownish and as wide as they are long.

Distribution

Bledius spectabilis inhabits the sea shores of the Caspian and Black Seas, the coasts of the Mediterranean from Asia Minor to Spain and Morocco, and the Atlantic coast as far north as the Irish Sea and the North Sea.

Behaviour

Bledius spectabilis, shows very unusual behaviour for an insect in that it actively protects its larvae from the parasitic wasp Barycnemis blediator and from the predatory Dicheirotrichus gustavii.^[1]