Ephemeral-resource-specialist
Guides
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.