Family: Staphylinidae
Subfamily: Oxytelinae
Length: 2-11 mm
Ninety species of Bledius live in the United States and Canada, with about twenty-eight of those in northeastern North America. It isn't known how many Bledius species live in West Virginia.
Among the traits of this genus are a pronotum that is larger and wider than the head, and strongly elbowed antennae.
Members of the genus manufacture noxious chemicals including toluquinone that, when released from the tip of the abdomen, help ward off potential enemies.
Outside West Virginia, some Bledius species live at the seashore, harvesting algae and carrying it into underground chambers. These chambers can be sealed off to prevent flooding during hide tide. Females lay eggs in these chambers and rear the larva there, providing maternal care that is unusual in the world of beetles.
