The rove beetles are a family (Staphylinidae) of beetles, primarily distinguished by their short elytra that typically leave more than half of their abdominal segments exposed. With over 68,000 species in approximately 4,100 genera, the group is one of the largest families in the beetle order and one of the largest families of organisms. They form an ancient group that first appeared during the Middle Jurassic based on definitive records of fossilized rove beetles, with the Late Triassic taxon Leehermania more likely belonging to the Myxophaga. They are an ecologically and morphologically diverse group of beetles and commonly are encountered in terrestrial ecosystems.