American carrion beetle

Not to be confused with the endangered American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus) in the same family.

American carrion beetle
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Coleoptera
Family: Silphidae
Genus: Necrophila
Species:
N. americana
Binomial name
Necrophila americana
Synonyms

The American carrion beetle (Necrophila americana,[1] formerly Silpha americana) is a North American beetle of the family Silphidae. It lays its eggs in, and its larvae consume, raw flesh (particularly that of dead animals) and fungi. The larvae and adults also consume fly larvae and the larvae of other carrion beetles that compete for the same food sources as their larvae.[2][3] They prefer to live in marshy and woody habitats.[4][5] Necrophila americana emerge from their larval state in the early summer.[6] The P. ashtoni cuckoo bumble bee displays close mimicry with the American carrion beetle.[7] They are important in forensic studies because of their tendency to thrive on large carcasses.[8]

  1. ^ Species Necrophila americana - American Carrion Beetle: http://bugguide.net/node/view/6744
  2. ^ Hilton Jr., Bill (May 2004). "Carrion Beetles & Phoretic Mites: Masters of Animal Decomposition". This week at Hilton Pond. Hilton Pond Center for Piedmont Natural History. Archived from the original on 24 July 2008. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  3. ^ Jason H. Byrd & James L. Castner, ed. (2000-09-28). Forensic Entomology: The Utility of Arthropods in Legal Investigations (2000 ed.). New York: CRC Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-8493-8120-1. Retrieved 2008-07-21.
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference Owings was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).