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

Genus Nicrophorus - Sexton Beetles

Classification · Other Common Names · Explanation of Names · Numbers · Size · Identification · Range · Food · Life Cycle · Remarks · Print References · Works Cited
Nicrophorus nigrita Beetle with mites - Nicrophorus nigrita Sexton Beetle - Nicrophorus Carrion Beetle - Nicrophorus sayi Nicrophorus of sorts.. - Nicrophorus hybridus Beetle - Nicrophorus investigator Nicrophorus defodiens with mites - Nicrophorus defodiens Adult Gold Necked Carrion Beetle - Nicrophorus tomentosus Banded Sexton Beetle - Nicrophorus
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 Staphylinidae (Rove Beetles)
Subfamily Silphinae (Carrion Beetles)
Genus Nicrophorus (Sexton Beetles)
Other Common Names
Burying Beetles
Explanation of Names
Nicrophorus Fabricius 1775
Greek 'carrier of the dead' • common name refers to the carrion-burying habits (sexton's duties included digging graves)
Numbers
15 spp. in our area(1), ~70 total(2); local faunas: 14 spp. in Canada & Alaska(3), 11 in NE(4), 7 in NC(5), 6 in FL(6), 5 in CA(7)
Size
in our area, 16‒35 mm
Identification
Large, dark beetles, usually with orange/red elytral maculations
For identification see (4)(8)(9)
important for identification: pronotum, metatibia, antennal club, and the epipleuron (the rolled over lateral edge of the elytron visible from aside)
Range
Eurasia (most diverse in e. Asia) and the New World; throughout NA(4)
Food
Small vertebrate carrion • to retard decay, beetles coat the carcass in antimicrobial-containing saliva(10)
Life Cycle
parental care: adults bury a carcass, lay eggs, and stay to feed the young on regurgitated carrion
Remarks
our only representative of the tribe Nicrophorini Kirby 1837 that contains ~80 spp. in 6 genera(11)
Print References
Schwarz H.H., Müller J.K. (1992) The dispersal behaviour of the phoretic mite Poecilochirus carabi (Mesostigmata, Parasitidae): Adaptation to the breeding biology of its carrier Necrophorus vespilloides (Coleoptera, Silphidae). Oecologia 89: 487‒493.
Springett B.P. (1968) Aspects of the relationship between burying beetles, Necrophorus spp. and the mite Poecilochirus necrophori. J. Anim. Ecol. 37: 417‒424.
Works Cited
1.American Beetles, Volume I: Archostemata, Myxophaga, Adephaga, Polyphaga: Staphyliniformia
Arnett, R.H., Jr., and M. C. Thomas. (eds.). 2000. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton, FL.
2.A catalog of the Nicrophorinae (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of the world
Sikes, D.S., R.B. Madge, & A.F. Newton. 2002. Zootaxa 65: 1-304.
3.Bousquet Y., ed. (1991) Checklist of the beetles of Canada and Alaska
4.The Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Nebraska
Brett Ratcliffe. 1996. University of Nebraska State Museum.
5.NCSU insect collection species inventory database
6.A Distributional Checklist of the Beetles (Coleoptera) of Florida
7.California Beetle Project
8.The Carrion Beetles of North Dakota
Guy A. Hanley and David L Cuthrell. 2008. Minot State University.
9.The carrion beetles of Canada and Alaska (Coleoptera: Silphidae and Agyrtidae)
Anderson, R.S. and S.B. Peck. 1985. Agriculture Canada.
10.The Lives of Beetles: A Natural History of Coleoptera
Arthur V. Evans. 2023. Princeton University Press.
11.Catalogue of Life
Contributed by Cotinis on 18 July, 2004 - 7:29am
Additional contributions by Robin McLeod, Phillip Harpootlian, ghanley1, Bbarnd, Mike Quinn, Aaron Schusteff, kschnei, v belov, marcelsuch, Marci Hess
Last updated 18 September, 2024 - 9:26pm

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