Velleius dilatatus

The rove beetle Velleius dilatatus lives together with the European hornet Vespa crabro crabro.

Contents

• Velleius dilatatus der hornissenkurzfl gelk fer als mitbewohner
• Vespa crabro futterreste und kurz velleius dilatatus
• References

Velleius dilatatus is up to 26 mm long. It feeds on detritus produced by the hornets (an example of commensalism). The beetles cannot survive without the hornets themselves, even if there is enough detritus present.

This species locates hornet nests using its highly developed sense of smell. On average, most nests it discovers contain around ten individuals of the species V. dilatatus.