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Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Series Staphyliniformia » Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles (Staphylinoidea) » Carrion Beetles (Silphidae) » Thanatophilus » Northern Carrion Beetle (Thanatophilus lapponicus)

Species Thanatophilus lapponicus - Northern Carrion Beetle

Classification · Synonyms and other taxonomic changes · Size · Identification · Range · Habitat · Season · Food · Life Cycle · Print References · Works Cited

arctic silphid - Thanatophilus lapponicus

Northern Carrion Beetle - Thanatophilus lapponicus

Thanatophilus - Thanatophilus lapponicus

Northern Carrion Thanatophilus lapponicus - Thanatophilus lapponicus

Classification

Kingdom Animalia (Animals)

Phylum Arthropoda (Arthropods)

Subphylum Hexapoda (Hexapods)

Class Insecta (Insects)

Order Coleoptera (Beetles)

Suborder Polyphaga (Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles)

No Taxon (Series Staphyliniformia)

Superfamily Staphylinoidea (Rove, Carrion and Fungus Beetles)

Family Silphidae (Carrion Beetles)

Genus Thanatophilus

Species lapponicus (Northern Carrion Beetle)

Synonyms and other taxonomic changes

Thanatophilus lapponicus (Herbst)

Orig. Comb: Silpha lapponica Herbst 1793

Size

9-14 mm

Identification

Black, pronotum sometimes with yellowish hairs. Each elytron has four ridges (costae), with distinctive warty bumps (tubercles) in intervals between ridges.

Range

w NA to WI (BG data). Also found in Eurasia.

Habitat

Open areas

Season

March-October

Food

Adults feed on carrion (presumably) and fly larvae (maggots) present on carrion. Said to occur mostly on carrion of reptiles and amphibians: frogs, toads, snakes. (1)

Life Cycle

Two generations per year, even in temperate areas. Adults of second generation overwinter.

Print References

Dillon, p. 177, plate XIX--Silpha lapponica (1)

Ratcliffe, pp. 37-38, fig. 31--Thanatophilus lapponica (2)

Milne, p. 551, fig. 223--Silpha lapponica (3)

Marshall, photo 302.9 (4)

Works Cited

1.	A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company.

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

3.	National Audubon Society Field Guide to Insects and Spiders Lorus and Margery Milne. 1980. Knopf.

4.	Insects: Their Natural History And Diversity: With a Photographic Guide to Insects of Eastern North America Stephen A. Marshall. 2006. Firefly Books Ltd.

Contributed by Phillip Harpootlian on 23 November, 2005 - 9:46am
Additional contributions by cotinis, Mike Quinn
Last updated 12 April, 2016 - 11:49am

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