Burying Beetle

Burying beetles, also called sexton beetles, belong to the genus Nicrophorus within the carrion beetle family Silphidae. They are distinguished from most other insects by their advanced parental care, making them a frequent subject of behavioral and ecological research.

After locating a small vertebrate carcass — typically a mouse, vole, or small bird — a pair of beetles will work together to bury it underground, strip its fur or feathers, and shape it into a preserved food ball for their offspring, actively guarding and even feeding the developing larvae in the meantime.

Several species occur across North America, Europe, and Asia, including the American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus), a large species of conservation concern. As a group, burying beetles are important recyclers of small carcasses in the environment.

• Robust, somewhat flattened black body with bold orange to reddish-orange bands or blotches across the elytra.
• Clubbed antennae typically tipped in bright orange, which stands out against the dark head.
• Strong, spiny legs adapted for digging.
• Lookalikes: distinguished from the American carrion beetle by the banded orange-red pattern on the elytra, versus that species' solid black wing covers.

Burying beetles range widely across temperate regions of North America, Europe, and Asia, occupying woodlands, grasslands, and open fields. They are primarily nocturnal, most active on warm nights when they can detect the scent of a fresh small-animal carcass from a considerable distance and fly to it.

This beetle locates small carcasses by scent and, once found, a mating pair will bury it by excavating soil beneath the body until it sinks underground, then strip away fur or feathers and coat the remains with antimicrobial secretions to slow decomposition. The female lays eggs in a chamber near the buried carcass, and the emerging larvae are fed regurgitated food by one or both parents, a rare example of biparental care among insects. This burial and recycling behavior makes burying beetles significant contributors to nutrient cycling wherever small carcasses occur.

Burying beetles undergo complete metamorphosis. After a carcass is buried and prepared, the female lays eggs nearby, and larvae hatch within a few days to feed on the prepared carcass, often assisted by parental feeding. Larvae pass through several instars before leaving the carcass to pupate in the surrounding soil. Depending on climate, one or more generations may occur per year, with adults overwintering in soil or leaf litter.