Orange and Black Beetle - Nicrophorus obscurus - BugGuide.Net

Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Polyphaga » Series Staphyliniformia » Staphylinoidea » Carrion Beetles (Silphidae) » Sexton Beetles (Nicrophorus) » Nicrophorus obscurus

Photo#7203

Copyright © 2004 Doug Harper

Orange and Black Beetle - Nicrophorus obscurus

Lake Audy, Manitoba, Canada
September 11, 2004

Found 2 of these beetles in an overgrazed pasture - early afternoon. Fairly large - this one was close to 3 cm long, the other about 3/4 of that size. This one flipped on its side and 'played dead' when I moved the vegetation (grasses and sagebrush) to get the photo. When I backed off to change lenses it righted itself and ran down an old gopher hole.

Contributed by Doug Harper on 20 September, 2004 - 3:05pm
Last updated 14 July, 2008 - 9:20am

Moved

Moved from Sexton Beetles.

… Guy A. Hanley, 14 July, 2008 - 9:20am

species is

Nicrophorus obscurus based on the characters I think I can see

… Guy A. Hanley, 14 July, 2008 - 9:20am

Burying beetle

Wow, for a carrion beetle, this specimen is awfully clean! It is a species in the genus Nicrophorus, known as the "burying beetles" or "sexton beetles." It was probably a male and female couple you found, attracted to some small animal carcass. Cool beetles. I rarely find them myself!

… Eric R. Eaton, 20 September, 2004 - 4:26pm

Thanks

Thanks, Eric

… Doug Harper, 21 September, 2004 - 2:29am

where do they live

I have found one in my back yard of Grand Bank Newfoundland. I was hoping if u could tell me if they were native to Newfoundland

… dk 123, 12 July, 2005 - 1:43pm

Carrion Beetle

Did you ever find out if the Carrion beetle was native to Newfoundland. We had one fly into our shed last weekend, and it has made me very curious about it. I've never seen one of these before, certainly not a beetle this big.

… greytgal, 11 June, 2009 - 11:47am

there are several

species of Nicrophorus known to occur in Newfoundland.

… Guy A. Hanley, 12 June, 2009 - 11:35am

Disclaimer: Dedicated naturalists volunteer their time and resources here to provide this service. We strive to provide accurate information, but we are mostly just amateurs attempting to make sense of a diverse natural world. If you need expert professional advice, contact your local extension office.

Contributors own the copyright to and are solely responsible for contributed content.
Click the contributor's name for licensing and usage information.
Everything else copyright © 2003-2024 Iowa State University, unless otherwise noted.

Bugguide is hosted by: