Staphylinid

British biologist J.B.S. Haldane once suggested that God had an inordinate fondness for beetles, and given how many members of the insect order Coleoptera exist on the planet—there are at least 400,000 species, which is by far the most among insect groups—it's easy to see how Haldane came up with this divine preference notion. I completely share the Lord's love affair with beetles, and I could easily become obsessed. This one belongs to one of the stranger families, the Staphylinidae. I discovered the so-called Rove beetle in the meadow across the street when I was combing the grasses for dragonflies—no such luck—and the Staphylinids are odd they have bare abdomens; most beetles have their bellies covered by wing cases. Some of the Roves—and rove they do—are quite common and conspicuous... none more so than this agile specimen. It's called Platydracus maculosus—alas, no common name—and Art Evans in his masterpiece field guide, Beetles of Eastern North America, tells us that it's the "largest rove beetle" in our country. Definitely a good one to start an inordinate fondness with.