Carrion-beetle
Guides
Acritus discus
clown beetle
Acritus discus is a small clown beetle in the family Histeridae, described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1853. It belongs to the subfamily Abraeinae, a group of diminutive histerids often associated with decaying organic matter. The species is recorded from multiple localities in eastern North America, including Georgia, Indiana, and New York.
Aeletes politus
clown beetle
Aeletes politus is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae, first described by J.L. LeConte in 1853. The species is found across North America, with records from Canada and the eastern United States. As a member of Histeridae, it belongs to a family of beetles commonly associated with decomposing organic matter and carrion.
Agyrtes longulus
Agyrtes longulus is a species of primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae. It belongs to a relict group of beetles considered among the most basal lineages of Staphylinoidea. The species has been documented in the Pacific Northwest and western Canada.
Aleochara speculicollis
Shiny Minute Rove Beetle
Aleochara speculicollis is a small rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae, described by Bernhauer in 1901. The species is characterized by a notably shiny, reflective pronotum that contributes to its common name. It occurs across a broad transcontinental range from Canada through the United States to Mexico. Like other members of the genus Aleochara, it is presumed to be associated with decaying organic matter and carrion habitats.
Anisotoma basalis
Anisotoma basalis is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae. It is native to eastern North America, with records spanning from Canada to the southern United States. The species was first described by J.L. LeConte in 1853 under the basionym Leiodes basalis. Like other members of the genus Anisotoma, it is associated with decomposing organic matter.
Anisotoma expolita
Anisotoma expolita is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, described by W. J. Brown in 1937. It belongs to the tribe Anisotomini, a group commonly associated with decaying organic matter and fungal habitats. The species is recorded from several states in the eastern and central United States.
Apteroloma caraboides
Apteroloma caraboides is a species of primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae, described by Fall in 1907. It belongs to a small group of beetles considered basal to the staphyliniform lineage. The species is restricted to western North America and is rarely encountered in field collections.
Catops alsiosus
Catops alsiosus is a small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae. It has a Holarctic distribution spanning Europe, northern Asia, and North America. The species is one of approximately 60 described species in the genus Catops, which are generally associated with decomposing organic matter.
Catops americanus
Catops americanus is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae. It is native to North America with records across the eastern and central United States and southeastern Canada. The species was described by Hatch in 1928. Like other members of the genus Catops, it is associated with carrion and decaying organic matter.
Catops davidsoni
Catops davidsoni is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, described by Salgado in 1999. It belongs to the genus Catops, which comprises beetles commonly associated with decaying organic matter and vertebrate remains. The species is known from scattered localities in eastern North America, with records from Canada (Ontario, Quebec) and the eastern United States.
Catops geomysi
Catops geomysi is a small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, described by Peck & Skelley in 2001. It belongs to the genus Catops, a group of beetles associated with decaying organic matter and small mammal burrows. The species is known from scattered records across the south-central and southeastern United States.
Catops simplex
Catops simplex is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1825. It belongs to the subfamily Cholevinae, a group commonly known as small carrion beetles. The species has been recorded across much of North America, with distribution records from Canada and the United States.
Colenis ora
Colenis ora is a species of small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, first described by Peck in 1998. It belongs to the subfamily Leiodinae and tribe Pseudoliodini. The species has been recorded from multiple states across the southeastern and eastern United States.
Creophilus
hairy rove beetle
Creophilus is a genus of large rove beetles (Staphylinidae) containing some of the largest species in the family, reaching up to 30 mm in length. The genus includes approximately 12 described species distributed globally, with C. maxillosus being the most widely studied due to its forensic significance. Species in this genus are strongly associated with carrion habitats where they function as predators of fly larvae. The genus was revised in 2011, with two new species described and several synonymizations.
Creophilus maxillosus
hairy rove beetle
Creophilus maxillosus, commonly known as the hairy rove beetle, is a large predatory rove beetle in the family Staphylinidae. Adults measure 12–18 mm and are characterized by shiny black coloration with distinctive golden setae on the head, pronotum, and posterior abdominal segments. The species is strongly associated with carrion and decomposition environments, where it functions as both a scavenger and active predator of fly larvae. It has forensic significance for estimating post-mortem intervals, though its widespread distribution and transient nature limit its utility as a geographic indicator. The beetle possesses chemical defense glands that secrete irritant compounds when threatened.
Dermestes
skin beetles, hide beetles, larder beetles
Dermestes is a globally distributed genus of beetles in the family Dermestidae, comprising approximately 92 species. These beetles are specialized scavengers of dead and dried animal material, with larvae feeding on carrion, dried meat and fish, bone, hair, skin, and feathers. The genus has significant economic and forensic importance: larvae are destructive pests of museum specimens and stored products, yet are also deliberately employed to clean flesh from skeletons in taxidermy and forensic contexts. Some species assist in estimating postmortem intervals in criminal investigations.
Dermestes frischii
Fringed Larder Beetle
Dermestes frischii is a hide beetle in the family Dermestidae, 6–9.5 mm long, black to dark brown with yellowish-white hairs on the pronotum sides. It is a significant pest of stored animal products including dried meat, fish, cheese, fur, and leather, and also damages wood, cork, and plaster when seeking pupation sites. The species is widely used in forensic entomology to estimate post-mortem intervals, particularly for corpses in hot, dry conditions where it colonizes remains during advanced decay stages. Males are distinguished from females by a tuft of black-brown hairs on the fourth abdominal sternite.
Dermestes maculatus
hide beetle, skin beetle, flesh-eating beetle
Dermestes maculatus is a cosmopolitan hide beetle with worldwide distribution on all continents except Antarctica. Adults are 5.5–10 mm, black with distinctive white hair bands on the pronotum. The species is a specialized decomposer of dry animal tissues, with physiological adaptations enabling survival on desiccated carrion where competitors fail. It holds significant forensic value for estimating postmortem intervals and is widely used by museums and universities for skeleton preparation. Larvae are densely setose with paired urogomphi on the terminal segment.
Dermestes peruvianus
Peruvian larder beetle
Dermestes peruvianus is a larder beetle in the family Dermestidae, found in North America, Europe, and South America. It closely resembles Dermestes haemorrhoidalis but can be distinguished by specific morphological traits including pale yellow, short, fine, recumbent pubescence on the elytra that does not extend beyond the lateral margins. It has been collected from carrion in forensic studies and is known from Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, and Brazil.
Dermestes pulcher
Dermestes pulcher is a species of hide beetle in the family Dermestidae, first described by LeConte in 1854. Like other members of the genus Dermestes, this species is associated with carrion and decomposing animal matter. The species has been recorded in North America from Canada (Manitoba, New Brunswick, and Québec), though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Dermestes sardous
Dermestes sardous is a species of hide beetle in the family Dermestidae, a group of scavengers important as stored product pests, ecosystem recyclers, and forensic tools. Like other members of the genus Dermestes, this species is associated with carrion and dried animal remains. The species is known from North America, including the conterminous United States. As part of the subfamily Dermestinae, it shares the general characteristics of the genus: elongated body form, clubbed antennae, and association with decomposing animal matter.
Dermestes undulatus
carpet beetle, hide beetle
Dermestes undulatus is a hide beetle in the family Dermestidae. It has forensic importance due to its colonization of dried remains. Development is temperature-dependent, with faster development at higher temperatures. The species occurs in both North America and Europe, and is considered scarce in the United Kingdom where it was recently rediscovered in Wales.
Epierus decipiens
clown beetle
Epierus decipiens is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae, first described by John Lawrence LeConte in 1851. It belongs to a genus of small histerid beetles commonly associated with decaying organic matter and carrion. The species occurs across a broad geographic range from the southwestern United States through Central America.
Heterosilpha ramosa
Garden Carrion Beetle
Heterosilpha ramosa, commonly known as the Garden Carrion Beetle, is a species of carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. Despite its common name, this species exhibits unusual dietary habits for a carrion beetle, functioning primarily as a generalist feeder rather than a strict carrion specialist. It is widely distributed across western and central North America, from Canada through Mexico, and occupies diverse habitats including shortgrass prairie and coniferous forest. The species has been documented as active from March through October, with adults overwintering.
Hylis californicus
Hylis californicus is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae. Members of this family are typically small, compact beetles associated with decaying organic matter and carrion. The species epithet 'californicus' indicates a type locality or primary distribution in California. Hylis species are morphologically characterized by shortened elytra that expose several abdominal tergites, a trait common to the family but with genus-specific modifications in antennal structure and body proportions.
Isoplastus
Isoplastus is a genus of small carrion beetles in the family Leiodidae, first described by Horn in 1880. The genus belongs to the tribe Leiodini within the subfamily Leiodinae. Members of this genus are part of the diverse rove beetle assemblage (Staphyliniformia), though they are not rove beetles proper. Very few species have been described, and the genus remains poorly known biologically.
Lionothus ulkei
A small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae, described by W.J. Brown in 1937. The species is known from scattered records across the eastern and south-central United States. Like other members of its family, it is associated with decomposing organic matter.
Margarinotus obscurus
clown beetle
Margarinotus obscurus is a species of clown beetle in the family Histeridae. It has a broad geographic distribution spanning multiple continents, with native records across Europe, Northern Asia, Southern Asia, and Africa, and introduced populations in North America. The species was first described by Kugelann in 1792. Like other members of Histeridae, it is associated with decaying organic matter and carrion habitats.
Necrobia
Ham Beetles
Necrobia is a genus of checkered beetles in the family Cleridae, commonly known as ham beetles. Unlike most clerids, which are predatory, Necrobia species are carrion-feeders and significant pests of stored animal products. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution and includes species frequently encountered on dried meat, fish, and museum specimens.
Necrobia ruficollis
ham beetle, red-shouldered ham beetle, red-necked bacon beetle
Necrobia ruficollis is a small, metallic beetle in the family Cleridae with cosmopolitan distribution. It is primarily associated with decomposing animal matter, including dried and smoked meats, animal skins, and cheese. The species is forensically significant, appearing on cadavers during advanced decay and skeletonization stages, and serves as an important indicator for postmortem interval estimation in cases involving longer time frames.
Necrobia violacea
blacklegged ham beetle, blue ham beetle, cosmopolitan blue bone beetle, Violet Checkered Beetle
Necrobia violacea is a small clerid beetle, 4–5 mm in length, with uniformly metallic blue-green to green coloration including its legs. The species occurs in the Palearctic region and has been introduced to North America. Adults are long-lived and associated with dried animal products, including cured meats, dried fish, aged cheeses, oilseeds, and desiccated carcasses. Larvae are predatory, feeding on other insect larvae found on carrion rather than consuming the carrion directly. The species has limited forensic relevance due to its preference for corpses in advanced decomposition stages.
Necrodes
Necrodes is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae (or Staphylinidae in some classifications), with at least four described species. These beetles are dominant decomposers of large vertebrate carrion in terrestrial habitats, where they compete with blow flies through mixed competition involving both exploitative and interference effects. They exhibit high dispersal ability, with individuals documented traveling over 30 km, and form massive larval aggregations that generate heat through thermogenesis. The genus has significant forensic importance, particularly N. littoralis, which is used as a bio-indicator for estimating post-mortem intervals.
Necrodes surinamensis
Red-lined Carrion Beetle
Necrodes surinamensis, commonly known as the red-lined carrion beetle, is a species of carrion beetle in the family Staphylinidae (subfamily Silphinae). It is found throughout North America, with documented records across Canada and the United States. The species is associated with carrion and plays a role in decomposition processes.
Necrophila
carrion beetles
Necrophila is a genus of carrion beetles in the family Silphidae, comprising approximately 20 species distributed primarily across Asia and India, with a single North American species, N. americana. The genus name derives from Greek roots meaning 'attracted to corpses,' reflecting their ecological association with decomposing animal matter. These beetles are significant forensic indicators and play important roles in carrion decomposition and nutrient cycling.
Necrophila americana
American Carrion Beetle
Necrophila americana is a North American carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. Adults and larvae feed on decomposing animal flesh and also prey on fly larvae that compete for the same resources. Unlike burying beetles in the genus Nicrophorus, this species does not bury carcasses. Adults have been observed at sap flows on oak trees and in fermenting bait traps. The species has been documented in forensic entomology contexts due to its predictable association with decomposing remains.
Necrophilus
Necrophilus is a genus of primitive carrion beetles in the family Agyrtidae, established by Latreille in 1829. The genus contains at least three described species distributed across the Northern Hemisphere. These beetles are associated with decaying organic matter and represent one of the more basal lineages within the staphylinoid beetles. They are often referred to as flat brown scavenger beetles or small scavenger beetles in common usage.
Necrophilus hydrophiloides
flat brown scavenger beetle
Necrophilus hydrophiloides is a species of primitive carrion beetle in the family Agyrtidae, commonly known as the flat brown scavenger beetle. It belongs to a relict lineage of beetles that represent an early-diverging branch of the staphylinoid beetles. The species is found in western North America, where it inhabits moist forest habitats and is associated with carrion and decaying organic matter.
Nemadus hornii
Nemadus hornii is a small carrion beetle in the family Leiodidae. It is known from North America, with records across Canada and the eastern and central United States. As a member of the carrion beetle guild, it likely contributes to decomposition processes, though specific ecological details remain poorly documented.
Nicrophorus americanus
American burying beetle, giant carrion beetle
Nicrophorus americanus is a federally threatened burying beetle endemic to North America and the largest member of its genus. Adults are nocturnal, strong fliers capable of traveling up to one kilometer per night while searching for carrion. The species exhibits elaborate biparental care, with both sexes cooperating to locate, bury, and prepare vertebrate carcasses for their offspring. Once abundant across 35 U.S. states and parts of Canada, it now occupies less than 10% of its historic range due to habitat loss, carrion scarcity, and other factors.
Nicrophorus defodiens
Boreal Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus defodiens is a burying beetle species first described by Mannerheim in 1846. It is one of at least two burying beetle species known to breed in the forest canopy. The species exhibits communal breeding behavior, where multiple male-female associations share parental care duties on larger vertebrate carcasses. It produces approximately twice as many eggs as the related N. orbicollis, with clutch sizes averaging around 24 eggs.
Nicrophorus guttula
Yellow-bellied Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus guttula is a burying beetle in the family Staphylinidae, described by Russian entomologist Victor Motschulsky in 1845. The species is commonly known as the Yellow-bellied Burying Beetle and is found across western North America from Alaska to Mexico. It exhibits elaborate parental care behaviors, including burying small carcasses and cooperatively feeding larvae. Research at the Bodega Marine Reserve has examined how carcass moisture and competition affect its reproductive success.
Nicrophorus hebes
Boreal Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus hebes is a resurrected valid species of burying beetle, previously synonymized under N. vespilloides. Molecular, ecological, and morphological evidence demonstrates that North American populations (excluding Alaska, Yukon, and Northwest Territories) represent a distinct species from the Old World N. vespilloides. The species exhibits reproductive isolation, with most hybrid larvae failing to survive beyond four days. Nicrophorus hebes is rare and tightly associated with wetland habitats, warranting conservation concern.
Nicrophorus hybridus
hybrid burying beetle
Nicrophorus hybridus is a burying beetle species in the family Silphidae, described by Melville Hatch and John W. Angell in 1925. The species occurs across western and central North America, from Canada through the western United States. Like other members of the genus Nicrophorus, it specializes on small vertebrate carcasses for reproduction and exhibits parental care behaviors. The specific epithet 'hybridus' refers to its intermediate morphological characteristics between related species.
Nicrophorus investigator
Banded Sexton Beetle, Banded Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus investigator is a burying beetle first described by Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1824. It is an obligate carrion breeder that buries small vertebrate carcasses for rearing offspring, exhibiting biparental care. Population dynamics are tightly linked to small mammal abundance, with preferred carcass sizes of 16–48 grams. The species has also been documented breeding on Pacific salmon carcasses in coastal British Columbia, where it may exhibit communal breeding on this rich, reliable resource. It serves as a host for phoretic mites that discriminate among individual male beetles.
Nicrophorus marginatus
margined sexton beetle, margined burying beetle, red and black burying beetle
Nicrophorus marginatus is a burying beetle in the family Silphidae, described by Fabricius in 1801. Adults are medium-sized beetles, 12–28 mm in length, with distinctive shiny black bodies and red-orange elytral bands. The species exhibits extreme physiological sensitivity to desiccation, losing 1–5% body mass per hour in low humidity conditions, yet maintains diurnal activity patterns and extends into arid habitats through behavioral thermoregulation. Like other Nicrophorus species, it engages in complex biparental care, burying small vertebrate carcasses and provisioning larvae with regurgitated, pre-digested food.
Nicrophorus mexicanus
Mexican burying beetle
Nicrophorus mexicanus is a burying beetle in the family Silphidae, described by Matthews in 1888. The species is distributed across the southwestern United States and Central America, including Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras. As a member of the genus Nicrophorus, it exhibits the characteristic behavior of burying small vertebrate carcasses to serve as food for developing larvae.
burying-beetlecarrion-beetleSilphidaeNicrophorinaeMatthews-1888scavengervertebrate-carcassparental-caresouthwestern-United-StatesCentral-AmericaMexicoGuatemalaEl-SalvadorHondurasArizonaCaliforniaColoradoKansasNew-MexicoNevadaTexasUtahIowadecompositioncarrionNicrophorusbeetleColeopterainsectarthropodNicrophorus nigrita
Black Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus nigrita, the black burying beetle, is a species of carrion beetle described by Mannerheim in 1843. It is distinguished from other Nearctic burying beetles by its uniformly black elytra lacking the typical orange or red markings found in congeners. Adults range from 12–28 mm in length and possess distinctive red-orange antennal clubs. The species occurs along the western coast of North America.
Nicrophorus pustulatus
Pustulated Carrion Beetle, Blistered Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus pustulatus is a North American burying beetle distinguished by its unique ecology among congeners. Unlike typical carrion beetles that bury small vertebrate carcasses underground, this species is a canopy specialist that has undergone a remarkable host shift to exploit snake eggs as a primary breeding resource. It is the only described Nicrophorus species demonstrated to function as a true parasitoid of vertebrates, attacking live reptile eggs. Adults are medium-sized (14.0–22.2 mm), predominantly black with distinctive orange elytral spots, and lack the long dorsal setae characteristic of related species. The species exhibits flexible social mating systems and facultative parental care.
Nicrophorus tomentosus
Gold-necked carrion beetle, Tomentose burying beetle
Nicrophorus tomentosus is a burying beetle (family Silphidae) distinguished by a dense patch of golden-yellow setae on the pronotum. Unlike most congeners, it does not completely bury carcasses; instead, it excavates shallow pits beneath small vertebrate remains and covers them with leaf litter. Adults exhibit biparental care, feeding larvae regurgitated carrion. The species is active from May through October, peaking in July and August, and overwinters as prepupae—a trait unique among sympatric Nicrophorus species. Behavioral dominance in competitive interactions is determined primarily by body size rather than species identity.
Nicrophorus vespilloides
Lesser Vespillo Burying Beetle
Nicrophorus vespilloides is a burying beetle in the family Silphidae, characterized by its distinctive orange-yellow elytral bands and black antennae. The species exhibits facultative biparental care, with both parents cooperating to locate, bury, and prepare small vertebrate carcasses as food resources for their larvae. This species serves as a prominent model organism for studying social immunity, parental care, and the evolution of complex social behaviors in insects. It has a Holarctic distribution spanning northern Eurasia and North America, with documented associations with phoretic mites and nematodes that influence its fitness and reproduction.