#nicrophorus

[btpolistes]

6: The Lovers

[onenicebugperday]

@noodleroni2 submitted: I dont know much other than this being some sort of burying beetle, however i thought it was very beautiful. i especially love the red-tipped antennae

I also love the antennae tips! It is indeed a burying beetle in the family Silphidae and likely the genus Nicrophorus. Can't tell you much more without a location though!

[platycryptus]

the tomentose burying beetle (Nicrophorus tomentosus) looks a little different from other burying beetles- its thorax is covered with gold fuzz. It’s not really clear why it looks like this when the beetle is at rest, but when it takes flight its shiny black and orange elytra flip upside down to reveal the same golden color as the thorax. The result is that it looks and buzzes like a stinging bumblebee in flight (pardon my friend making this observation in the background)

It might not look that much like a bee in these brief clips I was able to capture, but it gets me for at least a few seconds every time I’ve seen one flying. I vividly recall watching a bumblebee instantly transform into a beetle upon hitting the ground as a kid and being deeply confused

(Massachusetts, 7/6/21)

(also if you see this post and you’re not already familiar with burying beetles in general I suggest looking them up, they’re really cool)

[tobyisave]

"family pet"

nicrophorus & poecilochirus

[coolbugs]

Bug of the Day

Wow, this sexton beetle (Nicrophorus pustulatus) is a virtual mite factory! Took me a bit to realize the white on the scutellum was actually mite larvae. They are so tiny!!

[reanimateobjects]

[onenicebugperday]

@dragonflylover545 submitted: I found this little friend on a wall in my house, do you know what they are?

Thank you for letting me know your location in your other message! Looks like one of the carrion/burying beetles in the genus Nicrophorus :)

[onenicebugperday]

@rowan-e-ravenwood submitted: look at this little fellow, all festive for the Halloween season! i've never seen anything like them, what are they?

encountered in Utah :3

Extremely festive! And even more spooky because it's a burying beetle in the genus Nicrophorus - adults find the dead bodies of small animals like birds and rodents and bury them, creating a hollow crypt chamber around the body lined with fur or feathers. They even coat the carcass with secretions to keep it from decaying too quickly or drawing other scavengers. They then mate and lay eggs in the soil around the chamber. When the larvae hatch, they feed on the carcass. Adults can even regurgitate parts of the carcass to feed the larvae even though they can feed themselves just fine. What a fun and cute little family unit :)

I can't post the photos legally but if you google "nicrophorus crypt" you can see some photos of the larvae in their home! Keep in mind photos might show parts of dead animals.