Species Nicrophorus investigator - Banded Sexton Beetle

Classification · Explanation of Names · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · See Also · Internet References · Works Cited

sexton beetle - Nicrophorus investigator

Burying Beetle - Nicrophorus investigator

Burying beetle, Necrophoris - Nicrophorus investigator

Burying beetle, Nicrophorus - Nicrophorus investigator

Nicrophorus_investigator_ZE.13289_dorsal - Nicrophorus investigator

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga

No Taxon (Series Staphyliniformia)

Superfamily Staphylinoidea

Family Silphidae (Carrion Beetles)

Genus Nicrophorus (Sexton Beetles)

Species investigator (Banded Sexton Beetle)

Explanation of Names

Nicrophorus investigator Zetterstedt 1824

investigator 'searcher' (refers to carrion-hunting habits)(1)

Size

15-25 mm

Identification

elytral epipleura wide and usually entirely orange/red but occasionally a prebasal black spot extends down from basal black band; posterior elytral spot reaches epipleuron; stout setae on humeral area end well before base of epipleural ridge; dorsal ridge of epipleuron curved down at posterior end; no bald patch on metasternum behind mesocoxae; hind tibiae straight

Range

Holarctic, transcontinental in both NA (the northern half & along the Rocky Mts to NM-AZ) and Eurasia(2)

Habitat

boreal forest, aspen woodlands, prairies and meadows

Season

May-Oct(2)

See Also

N. sayi: hind tibiae curved, posterior elytral spot does not reach epipleuron

N. hybridus: stout setae on humeral area extend to base of epipleural ridge; not found east of Ontario

Internet References

Species page(1)

Works Cited

1.	University of Alberta Entomology Collection

2.	The Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Nebraska Brett Ratcliffe. 1996. University of Nebraska State Museum.

Contributed by Guy A. Hanley on 28 September, 2007 - 2:08pm
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, v belov
Last updated 13 March, 2014 - 4:24pm

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