The rove beetles are the most diverse family of beetles in California, with over 1200 known species. They are also the most diverse family of beetles at Coal Oil Point, with 25 species. Adults and larvae are mostly predators. The family is characterized by their long narrow body, with very short wing covers exposing most of the abdomen.

Nearly half of the rove beetle species at Coal Oil Point are restricted to coastal habitats. The most striking of these is Thinopinus pictus, a predator of beach hoppers, and the wrack piles in general host many of these endemics. A highly specialized flightless species of rove beetle, Diaulota fulviventris, lives in the intertidal zones on barnacle covered rocks. It survives tidal inundation by finding minute air pockets in rock crevices.

Staphylinid Photos (click to enlarge)
Omaliinae	Bledius sp.	Bledius sp.
Aleochara sulcicollis	Aleochara maritima	Diaulota fulviventris
Holobus sp.	Pontomalota opaca	Thinopictus pictus
Hadrotes crassus	Cafius canescens