COLEOPTERA: Silphidae

Members of the family Silphidae are commonly called carrion (or burying) beetles. There are roughly 200 species known.

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Necrophila americana Linnaeus, 1758. The common name for this species is American carrion beetle. Adults arrive at a carcass shortly after the first flies arrive (just after the animal has died) and lay eggs. Larvae feed on on the decaying carcass as well (and oftern consume other larvae). The larva burrows into the soil, and forms a pupa. Adults overwinter in central Illinois. This specimen was collected by Mark DuBois in Marshall Co., Illinois.

Nicrophorus pustulatus Herschel, 1807. This beetle species sometimes is attracted to light at night. Adult females often lay their eggs on small mammal caracsses (which they bury to a depth of several inches).