Carrion-feeding
Guides
Alydus calcaratus
ant bug
Alydus calcaratus is a large, dark plant bug in the family Alydidae with a Holarctic distribution spanning Europe, Asia, and northern North America. It is the sole representative of its family in northern Central Europe outside the Alps. Adults are 10–12 mm, blackish with an orange-red dorsal abdomen visible only in flight, and exhibit wasp-like resemblance. Nymphs are convincing ant mimics with an unclear relationship to ant nests. The species feeds primarily on fallen legume seeds, with carrion-feeding also observed.
Hybosoridae
scavenger scarab beetles, scavenger and pill scarab beetles
Hybosoridae is a family of scarabaeiform beetles comprising over 600 species in 78 extant genera. Members are small (5–7 mm), oval beetles with distinctive antennae bearing a deeply grooved 8th antennomere that houses the 9th and 10th segments. The family was historically recognized as distinct based on unique larval characteristics, particularly the stridulatory behavior of rubbing front legs against the epipharynx margin. Formerly, the family Ceratocanthidae was merged into Hybosoridae, expanding its constituency.
Mecaphesa schlingeri
Mecaphesa schlingeri is a species of crab spider in the family Thomisidae, described by Schick in 1965. It is known from the United States, where it has been documented as a predator on the sticky annual plant Madia elegans (tarweed). The species is one of several predators that can navigate the resinous, hooked trichomes of tarweed to feed on trapped insect carrion. Research indicates its presence on tarweed plants increases when dead insects are experimentally added, suggesting it responds to carrion availability.
Megalotomus quinquespinosus
Lupine Bug
Megalotomus quinquespinosus, commonly known as the lupine bug, is a broad-headed bug in the family Alydidae. It is found across North America. While many alydids are primarily plant-feeders, this species has been documented feeding on carrion and dung, including the remains of small mammals in predator scat. This behavior represents an unusual expansion of diet beyond typical seed-feeding habits seen in related species.
Melanocanthon
Melanocanthon is a genus of dung beetles in the family Scarabaeidae, established by Halffter in 1958. The genus contains at least four described species distributed in the Nearctic region. Unlike many scarabaeine dung beetles, at least one species (M. nigricornis) has been documented utilizing fungus and carrion rather than dung as primary food resources.