|
Species Necrodes surinamensis - Red-lined Carrion Beetle
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 Necrodes
Species surinamensis (Red-lined Carrion Beetle)
Synonyms and other taxonomic changes Necrodes surinamensis (Fabricius)
Orig. Comb: Silpha surinamensis Fabricius, 1775
Numbers 1 sp. n. of Mex. (5 spp. total) (1)
Identification Distinctive, large eyes, dark body with prominent raised elytral ridges, variable red-orange, sometimes yellow, markings on elytra, though these sometimes absent. Sometimes has red tinge to body. Males have distinctive leg morphology: expanded hind femora with a large tooth on each, and expanded foretarsi. (1) Also, abdomen of male appears to jut out from under abdomen much more than female, at least based on this individual:
The black body with orange markings resembles the pattern of the related Sexton Beetles, Nicrophorus. Perhaps this is a mimicry complex.
Range East of Rocky Mtns. Also populations in Pacific Northwest, Montana, Utah. (1)
Habitat General, but may prefer deciduous forests
Season All year, but most common in temperate areas April-November. May-July, September (North Carolina).
Food Adults consume fly larvae (maggots), and perhaps some carrion.
Life Cycle Rather nocturnal and is found at lights, unlike related genera. Adults locate carrion and mate on or near carcass. They feed on fly larvae there. Eggs are laid on soil near carcass. Larvae feed on fly larvae and carrion, pupate in soil. Adults overwinter in under litter(?) or in other protected areas. See Ratcliffe (1) for details. This species is supposed to be attracted especially, to dead birds. ( Insects of Northeastern Iowa)
Has chemical defenses, and smells foul, like all carrion beetles and their larvae.
Print References Ratcliffe, pp. 26-30, fig. 49 (1)
Dillon, p. 176, plate XIX (2)
Papp, p. 72, fig. 225 (3)
White, p. 121, fig. 44 (4)
Arnett, pp. 129-130, fig. 321 (5)
Salsbury, p. 173--photo (6)
Marshall, photo 302.8 (7)
Brimley p. 135-- Silpha surinamensis. (8)
Works Cited 1. | The Carrion Beetles (Coleoptera: Silphidae) of Nebraska Brett Ratcliffe. 1996. University of Nebraska State Museum. | |
2. | A Manual of Common Beetles of Eastern North America Dillon, Elizabeth S., and Dillon, Lawrence. 1961. Row, Peterson, and Company. | |
3. | Introduction to North American Beetles Charles S. Papp. 1984. Entomography Pubns. | |
4. | Peterson Field Guides: Beetles Richard E. White. 1983. Houghton Mifflin Company. | |
5. | How to Know the Beetles Ross H. Arnett, N. M. Downie, H. E. Jaques. 1980. Wm. C. Brown Publishers. | |
6. | Insects in Kansas Glenn A. Salsbury and Stephan C. White. 2000. Kansas Dept. of Agriculture. | |
8. | Insects of North Carolina C.S. Brimley. 1938. North Carolina Department of Agriculture. | |
Contributed by Cotinis on 6 September, 2004 - 9:03am Additional contributions by Mike QuinnLast updated 10 June, 2016 - 1:17pm |
|
|
|