Nicrophorus carolina
(Linnaeus, 1771)
Carolina Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus carolina is a burying first described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. The belongs to the carrion beetle Silphidae and exhibits the characteristic of the Nicrophorus, including burying small vertebrate carcasses for larval food. The specific epithet has been frequently misspelled as "carolinus" in literature.
Pronunciation
How to pronounce Nicrophorus carolina: /nɪˈkroʊfərəs ˌkæroʊˈlaɪnə/
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Images
Misconceptions
The specific epithet "carolina" has been commonly misspelled as "carolinus" in scientific and popular literature, despite the original description by Linnaeus using the correct spelling.
More Details
Nomenclatural Note
The was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1771. The misspelling "carolinus" has appeared frequently enough in literature to cause taxonomic confusion, though the original and correct spelling remains "carolina".
Sources and further reading
- BugGuide
- Wikipedia
- iNaturalist taxon
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Bohart Museum Spotlight on Yellow-Bellied Burying Beetles | Bug Squad
- Congratulations, UC Davis Linnaean Games Team: National Champs! | Bug Squad
- Death of a lanternfly, Part 2: Lanternfly on the Thanksgiving menu for a gal called Carolina – Carolina mantis, Stagmomantis carolina — Bug of the Week
- They eat dead things - Part I - Burying beetles Silphidae — Bug of the Week
- Oklahoma is More than OK for Burying Beetles
- Burying Beetles Are Part of Nature's Clean-up Crew