Forensic-entomology
Guides
Thanatophilus lapponicus
Northern Carrion Beetle, Silky Carrion Beetle
Thanatophilus lapponicus, the Northern Carrion Beetle, is a holarctic species in the family Silphidae. It is one of the most widespread carrion beetles in the northern hemisphere, occurring across boreal and temperate regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. The species is associated with decomposing animal remains, particularly in cooler climates where its densely hairy body may provide thermal insulation. Adults are active from early spring through autumn and are frequently encountered in forensic entomology contexts.
Thanatophilus sagax
Carrion Beetle
Thanatophilus sagax is a carrion beetle in the family Silphidae. It inhabits northern regions of North America, with records from Alaska through western Canada and into the northwestern United States. Like other members of its genus, it is associated with decomposing animal remains. The species was described by Mannerheim in 1853.
Thanatophilus truncatus
Northern Carrion Beetle, Silky Carrion Beetle
Thanatophilus truncatus is a carrion beetle in the family Silphidae, found across Central and North America. As a member of the genus Thanatophilus, it is associated with decomposing animal matter and plays a role in nutrient cycling. The species was first described by Thomas Say in 1823 and is documented from the southwestern United States through Mexico.
Trogidae
hide beetles, keratin beetles, skin beetles
Trogidae is a family of scarabaeoid beetles commonly known as hide beetles or keratin beetles. The family contains approximately 300 species in four or five genera, distributed worldwide. Members are characterized by a distinctive rough, warty, or bumpy exoskeleton and are specialized scavengers of dried animal remains, feeding on skin, feathers, fur, and connective tissue. They are among the last insects to colonize carcasses, appearing only after decomposition has advanced to the dry remains stage. The family's taxonomic placement remains debated, with some authorities treating it as a subfamily (Troginae) within Scarabaeidae.
Trox capillaris
Hide beetle
Trox capillaris is a species of hide beetle in the family Trogidae, first described by Thomas Say in 1824. As a member of this family, it is associated with the late stages of vertebrate decomposition, feeding on dried skin, hair, feathers, and connective tissue. The species occurs in the Nearctic region, primarily in the central and eastern United States and southern Canada.
Trox floridanus
hide beetle
Trox floridanus is a species of hide beetle in the family Trogidae, first described from Florida in 1957. As a member of this family, it is associated with decomposing animal remains in advanced stages of decay, feeding on dried skin, hair, feathers, and connective tissue. The species is documented from the Nearctic region, specifically Florida, USA. Hide beetles in this genus are cryptic insects that typically become coated in debris and exhibit thanatosis (death-feigning) when disturbed.
Trox gemmulatus
Hide beetle
Trox gemmulatus is a hide beetle in the family Trogidae, native to arid and semi-arid regions of western North America. These beetles specialize in consuming desiccated animal remains, including dried skin, fur, feathers, and connective tissue. Adults are typically 8–11 mm in length and are known for their rough, debris-caked appearance and thanatosis behavior—feigning death when disturbed. The species is most active during spring and is frequently associated with the final stages of vertebrate decomposition.
Trox hamatus
Hide beetle
Trox hamatus is a hide beetle in the family Trogidae, currently classified under the genus Glyptotrox. It is a Nearctic species found primarily in the eastern and central United States and southern Canada. Like other trogids, it feeds on dried animal remains, including skin, hair, feathers, and connective tissue. The species was described by Robinson in 1940 and is now treated as a synonym of Glyptotrox hamatus in modern classifications.
Trox plicatus
Trox plicatus is a species of hide beetle in the family Trogidae, described by Robinson in 1940. The species belongs to a genus specialized in consuming dried animal remains during the final stages of decomposition. Like other trogids, it is adapted to cryptic existence among carrion debris. It has been documented from the southwestern United States and central Mexico.
Trox striatus
Hide beetle
Trox striatus is a hide beetle in the family Trogidae, occurring in the Nearctic region of eastern North America. Like other members of its genus, it specializes in consuming dried animal remains during the final stages of decomposition. The species has been recorded from scattered localities across the northeastern and midwestern United States and adjacent Canada.
Trox terrestris
Hide beetle, Hide and tallow beetle
Trox terrestris is a hide beetle in the family Trogidae, closely allied to scarab beetles. The species has been reclassified under Glyptotrox terrestris in some taxonomic treatments. These beetles specialize in consuming dried animal remains, including skin, hair, feathers, and connective tissue during the final stages of carcass decomposition. They are known for their cryptic appearance and thanatosis behavior.
Trox unistriatus
Trox unistriatus is a hide beetle in the family Trogidae, a group closely related to scarab beetles. Like other members of its genus, this species specializes in consuming dried animal remains, including skin, hair, feathers, and connective tissue. It is found across much of North America, with records from Canada and the United States. The species exhibits typical trogid behavior: freezing in a rigid posture when disturbed and accumulating debris on its body for camouflage.
Wohlfahrtia
Wohlfahrtia is a genus of flesh flies in the family Sarcophagidae comprising at least 20 described species. Species within this genus are known facultative parasites that cause traumatic myiasis in mammals, including livestock and humans. Larvae develop in wounds or necrotic tissue, with some species serving as forensic indicators for postmortem interval estimation. The genus exhibits larviparous reproduction, with females depositing larvae directly onto suitable substrates.
Xanthippus corallipes pantherinus
Red shanks
Xanthippus corallipes pantherinus is a subspecies of band-winged grasshopper found in the Great Plains of southern Colorado. Adults are medium to large in size with distinctive red inner faces of the hind femora, giving rise to the common name "red shanks." The subspecies is common and can be destructive to grassland vegetation, particularly western wheatgrass. It produces loud flight and deposits eggs in calcareous soils on hilltops and ridges.
Xylota segnis
Orange-belted Leafwalker, brown-toed forest fly, lazy wood fly
Xylota segnis is a common Palearctic and Nearctic hoverfly distinguished by its black abdomen with a prominent orange or yellowish-red patch on tergites 2 and 3. Adults are notable for their sedentary behavior, often resting motionless on leaves rather than actively flying. The species is polyvoltine with up to three generations annually and has been observed from April through September. Larvae develop in decaying tree sap and have also been recorded from decaying human remains.